Last week, John Devittand Paul Cullendebated the question: Are the tribunals good value for money? Here is an edited selection of your comments:
What the tribunals indicate is that we have neither the laws in place, nor the enforcement mechanisms, to control corruption. It's a pathetic indictment of our legal system. Nice little earner for the barristers, though.
- John, Ireland
Paul Cullen blames the tribunals for their money wasting and inefficiency, yet it is the Fianna Fáil political establishment which set them up, gave them their terms of reference and decided that this was the best way to investigate planning corruption! If they are bad value for money, it is because they were established by incompetent fools. Lawyers can't be blamed for taking the massive sums of money the government agreed to pay them.
Widespread planning corruption forced the government to take some sort of action, as this heinous fraud perpetrated against the people of this country by those paid well to work for and represent them has cost the State and our society countless billions of euro, not to mention the cost in terms of the misery endured in people's everyday lives as they suffer the consequences of the actions of corrupt politicians and officials. The price to change the prevailing culture in this country and put this to an end seems small to me. Even if it is hard for us to see the return now, our children will in the future.
- David, Dublin
No person is held accountable when these final reports are released and therefore they are, at this point, an unjustified cost.
- S O'Driscoll, Ireland
The tribunals were set up by politicians and are now being set up to fail by politicians. What is there to hide? What is wrong is that the people who have hindered, obfuscated and obstructed have not been sufficiently punished.
- Jonathan Law, Ireland
Unfortunately, there is no other acceptable way of stopping the rot. How can Bertie possibly claim to be tax-compliant now when there were briefcases and drawers full of lolly stashed all over the place? The only hope for Bertie now is that Judge Mahon may resign, hence the sustained attack on the tribunal by Bertie and his Ministers. I hope Judge Mahon survives.
- John Ferry, Sligo
There is only one winner and that is the solicitors. They are raking in the big money and who is paying? Only the poor, ordinary worker. They would be better off putting the money into schools or into public transport. The whole country is run backwards, but what's new?
- Seán, Ireland
I left Ireland in the late 1980s due to the economic problems. Charlie was in power and it was a time to tighten one's belt. What has changed but for a few prosperous years that appear to be coming to an end? All we have is history to learn from and our political leaders like the gravy train.
Is it power that corrupts or do the corrupt get drawn to power? When I return to Ireland, people ask: "How can you elect George Bush as president?", and I give them the same response: "How can you elect Bertie Ahern with his 'I like to deal in cash and I can't remember who I gave the money to'?"
- Liam, United States
On balance, I think probably not, as the lawyers' fees are very high. However, I would not be as pessimistic as Paul Cullen and I think the tribunals can do some good in uncovering corruption.
- Conor, Ireland
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