ST LUKE wrote the story of the Prodigal Son who returns to beg his father for mercy after he had recklessly spent his father's money. The Parable of the Good Samaritan is another well-known allegory by St Luke and emphasises that the spirit of the law is just as important as the letter of the law.
The Gospel of John is very different to Luke's. John focuses on Jesus's mission to bring "logos" or reason to his disciples. In John's book, ethos is very important.
It is a coincidence that focus on the Taoiseach's personal finances comes as the Green Paper proposals on local government reform, including regulations on donations, are being finalised. The Green Paper will be published in coming weeks.
It is understood that the Minister for Local Government, John Gormley, may be having some difficulty securing the necessary support to introduce wide-ranging reforms of local election political financing.
In its Green Paper submission, the Standards Commission made a number of specific proposals. It is understood that not all of these have been accepted.
The Standards Commission called for the establishment of an independent body with the power to investigate, on its own initiative, non-compliance with spending limits and donation disclosure, among other things, at local elections.
This request, repeatedly made, has already been rejected on a national basis.
The Consultative Committee on Local Government Reform has advised the Minister on proposals for the Green Paper. This body is composed of senior civil servants and members from an impressive group of associations that includes the Association of City and County Councils.
This association, established in 1899, "at the dawn of modern Irish democracy", represents the elected members of Ireland's 34 county and city councils - almost 900 councillors. In response to a questionnaire sent to its general council last August they concluded that expenditure limits at local elections were "essentially a question for a more political forum" and made no proposals.
It beggars belief that a representative body of almost 900 councillors would fudge proposals on how they finance their local election campaigns because they regarded themselves as not political enough!
The election period for the 2007 general election was defined as the three weeks before polling day when expenditure is calculated and limits are imposed. As I have argued before (The Irish Times, December 14th, 2007) these limits are meaningless. It is hoped that the Green Paper will encompass a more effective monitoring mechanism for the 2009 local elections, such as a three- or six-month election period.
In exasperation at the extraordinary flaws in the legislation of political funding, this author has previously resorted to quoting lyrics from heavy metal band Iron Maiden - "Cause you know this has happened before . . ."
The McCracken, Moriarty and Mahon tribunal trilogy (a previous tribunal trilogy occurred in the 1940s) have one precise element in common. The subtitle of each stipulates: "Payments to Politicians".
You would imagine then that the Minister does not need divine intervention to allow him to introduce sweeping reforms at local level. It would be a reasonable presumption that the probity of locally elected representatives, with respect to the regulation of donations, should be an overriding priority at all levels of political life.
Bertie Ahern has now led Fianna Fáil into government on three occasions. His leadership began in 1997, months after the establishment of McCracken, which has since concluded its work. Moriarty and Mahon are optimistically due to complete their work in the next year. Ahern has said he will retire from politics before his 60th birthday, some three years away. Coincidentally, his premiership almost precisely spans the genesis and the revelations of the current tribunal trilogy.
Conceivably, Brian Cowen, the "Anointed One", will be the next leader of Fianna Fáil. He will face the challenge of restoring faith and trust in Irish public life following an exceptional period where political standards were intensely, and at times excruciatingly, scrutinised.
During the last 10 years the quantity of legislation introduced to promote accountability and transparency in politics has been considerable. Frustratingly, its remarkable scope is obscured by nonsensical flaws and complexity which promote the perception that nothing has changed.
This represents an opportunity for Cowen. The tribunals will be over soon. It is time for a grand gesture, a follow-through on why the tribunals were established in the first place.
The Local Government Reform Green Paper is the first step. When the Prodigal Son acknowledged he had done wrong, he was forgiven.
Dr Elaine Byrne is an expert on political corruption and is writing a history of it in Ireland