Dublin Opinion

Martin Horgan is an ambitious chap. A Green party representative, he has this to say about corruption in Irish politics.

Ireland is a modern western nation with a strong economy built by the hard work and educational standard of its people and the talent of its business profession and entrepreneurs.

This economic progression has been fuelled by the Maastricht treaty leading to a single Euro zone coupled with Ireland’s historical connection with the United States and the fact that we are an English speaking nation on the corner of Europe.

The notion put about by the Government that they are mainly responsible for this progression is quite simply farcical. In fact the Government has presided over years of economic mismanagement that left generations of our people with no choice other than emigration. It does not take a modern day Einstein to realise that low corporation taxes encourage business to develop.

Ireland must continue to drag itself away from the old gombeen, brown envelope style of politics. The conduct of individuals like Liam Lawlor, Ray Burke, Charles Haughey, and their ilk who encouraged the country to “tighten our belts” while they loosened theirs, is not acceptable in anything other than a banana republic.

The actions of corrupt politicians have assisted in distancing an entire generation from the political system. Ireland needs to strive to remain free of such scandals in the future, and political activity and large scale national projects must be driven by a desire to improve the country rather than line the pockets of small groups of politicians and irresponsible business people.

And that, my friends, is why the Greens support Bertie Ahern.