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Exclusive report for politics.ie from their foreign correspondent,in Gran Canaria-www.fiannafailparty.info
The Quarryvale Corruption Module is not the only hearing that is coming down the line-like Cryptosporidium- at the worst possible time for Fianna Fail.It is ironic that another Virus-the seeds of which,like one off housing and farming pollution-were sown by Ahern himself some 20 years ago!
The solicitors firm of McMahon,Obrien,Downes, based in Dublin & Limerick have spent two years assembling documentation & discovery process relating to the mishandling of the taxi industry during the past two decades.
A test case will be heard before the High Court within the next two months,and if successful will result in a likely payout of approx 200 million euros of taxpayers cash in compensation costs, to some 10,000 taxi drivers.
Here is the background to the case:
Letter published by the Editor of the Irish Times a year before deregulation.
"Sir-
As a recently retired hackney service operator with 25 years experience in the taxi/hackney industry, I beg space to comment on recent Court decisions re: the small public service vehicle transport sector.
I recently abandoned all prospect of running an efficient business (while, in account with many of the worlds largest companies located in West Dublin). The 'vested interests' malaise responsible for the prevailing chaos in the industry is not confined to the Taxi Owners Union, but this particular lobby group may now become a victim
of its own success.
The economic boom and drink/driving restrictions compounded the taxi shortage.
The outrageous moratorium on new competition (hackney operators licences), which followed, and the inexplicable,non-implementation of the expensive, authoritative and excellent "Oscar Faber Consultants Study" of both industries, commissioned by Dublin Corporation three years ago, gave the death knell to the development of hackney services.
To this day they cannot utilize the bus-lanes. The labour shortage is now another added dimension in this as in other sectors. The main Oscar Faber recommendations were;
1. Allow both sectors full access to the same competitive advantages (ie. bus-lanes).
2. To continue a phased issue of licences in both sectors.
If these basic reforms had been initiated then, we would not now be facing extreme chaos and a possible free for all in taxi deregulation, which may ultimately create as many problems as it purports to solve.
If a ship is adrift with no rudder a doubling of the crew is no solution.
We need two separate efficient competing services, not another monopoly regulated or deregulated, to replace the current disorder."
Yours etc------
The taxi industry finally got its come-uppance in 2002,when a spate of internecine warfare between Fianna Fail ( Ivor Callely ) and the P.D.(Progressive Democrat party, led by Mary Harney) resulted in the abandonment of a secret pact, initiated by Ivor Calelly on behalf of Fianna Fail ,with a group of taxi operators who had formed a lobby group to oppose all reform of the Taxi industry.They provided thousands of votes for ‘ The Soldiers’, in Bertie’s own North Central Dublin Electoral Ward,and helped them capture a marginal seat there-in return for which tight controls on the issue of new taxis resulted in a dire shortage in our capital city for almost a decade.
Few people had much sympathy for taxi drivers,when the final meltdown of ‘deregulation’ demanded by Mary Harney finally occurred.
.Too many people had suffered for too long to shed a tear even if every taxi driver in the city was hung drawn and quartered!-let alone deregulated.
In fact there was celebrations in the streets.So this was a fairly populist move for Fianna Fail and they also placated Mary Harney’s thirst for taximen’s blood.Of course it did nothing for fares, the industry is still a fixed price "monopoly" by structure, unlike the two tier taxi/hackney system which she effectively abolished. No doubt the VHI / BUPA cartel will similiarly share the spoils of "deregulation" of the insurance market , under the guise of "competition"
The taxi deregulation still rankles and festers away, even today.It did cause some bad feeling.The Licensed Vintners trade in alcohol was not deregulated,as it ought to have been, long ago.Then again the state makes 170,000 euros per annum from every licence renewal.Why spoil a good thing.? Michael McDowell tried this one on in June 2005,and he had to back off. The taxi drivers had it coming.Politics driven pacts, are notoriously volatile, and "arrangements" of this kind only last as long as is expedient for both parties involved.
The Airport based hard taxi driver "bully boys" from the environs of Finglas,Coolock, Ballymun, Drumcondra etc were a well organized grouping within the Irish Taxi Federation and formed the hard core of Bertie Ahern & Ivor Calelly,s voters/supporters in a marginal constituency where a few thousand extra votes ensured another safe seat. These drivers blockaded Dublin Airport , just prior to meltdown,and tried desperately to head off the P.D.s planned deregulation in the courts.Ironically the threat to replace them at the airport with the fleets of hackneys which emerged ,because of long years of inadequate provision of extra taxi licences; resulted in their final capitulation.
The existance of an alternative cab service rendered the taxi union's strike weapon useless. It was like the demise of the miners unions power in Britian because Mrs Thatcher had the nuclear power stations to maintain vital electricity service.
It was an ignonimous end for John Usher, president of the Taxi Federation, and his cohorts.
The Irish Farmers Associations members, to this day "rent" licences(E.E.U.quotas) to other farmers to produce milk,just as many taxi medallions were rented by their owners,on retirement, to new drivers who wished to enter the business.Even fishermen rent fishing quotas in the ultimate charade called the C.A.P.(Common agricultural Policy)
Bertie does not act the "bully boy" with these farmers/fishermen supporters...and abolish or deregulate their subsidies.The story of the taxi plate meltdown is an intriguing one and has never been told in full,until now.
Minister Seamus Brennan ,finally offered 10,000 Euros compensation for the widows and old age pensioners who lobbied the government because they had lost their rental income from these plates,and could prove "hardship" of sorts.
.Included in a so called "compensation scheme", were any drivers who still had large loans outstanding after having purchased taxi plates prior to deregulation,and could prove genuine "hardship".
That is to say ,if you have not sold your house and moved into the Morning Star Hostel (A doss house for winos and down and outs in North Brunswick Street, Dublin) you need not apply!.
Some owners had borrowed money to purchase a taxi plate at market rates of some 90,000 Euros. A small minority of them got 10,000 euros in compensation.
This whole debacle is another tale of now forgotten corruption worthy of a separate Tribunal, could our taxpayers afford it. Hardly of interest to anybody.However the affair will be replayed in the High Court shortly.
Nobody was much interested. By now everyone hated taxi drivers with a vengance.(So would I, if I had been on the suffering end of this 'public service' facility after closing time or a night on the town,for the previous ten years.)
Where I live now in Spain(Gran Canaria) taxi plates fetch up to 150,000 Euros,if you can buy one. They rarely come on the open market. There has however, never been calls for deregulation.
Nevertheless supply and demand are well matched,and one rarely has to wait more than 15 minutes for a cab-even at peak periods.It’s called good governance, untainted by corruption.
Fianna Fail ‘governance’ of this sector devastated the incomes of thousands of widows and pensioners, in the end.
In New York and many other major cities throughout the world,where taxi medallions are tradeable assets owned by large limited companies,the service is tuned to the demand,and some new licenses issued yearly,as demand increases.
Ireland’s taxi industry experienced a decade of chaos due to political corruption and then… the sledgehammer of deregulation.!
A letter on the subject was published in a new taxi industry periodical, in 2004;
"It is well documented that one Drumcondra based T.D Ivor Callely (recently a Minister of State, and maybe a Taoiseach ...some day ? although his political star is very dim at the moment..) was deeply involved with a group of influential members of the Irish Taxi Federation (taxi unions umbrella body)for the purposes of vote harvesting. This relationship can only be described as a corrupt one.
It is said of Ivor Callely that; "If cannibals were living in his constituency(Clontarf) ..he would be selling human flesh-at a discount.The taxidrivers learned the truth of this witticism,to their cost.!
The ‘arrangement’ with Ivor and Bertie resulted in severe and unwarranted restrictions on the issue of new taxi plates , for decades,and left Dublin without a proper Taxi service. The secret pact even succeeded in halting the release of competing hackney plates which were desperately needed to shore up the totally inadequate taxi infrastructure.
Only shortly before the final meltdown in the industry,-enforced by the P.D.s.as a condition of remaining in coalition government, -were hackney plates re-issued-and then, too late.
Furthermore 5000 Dublin Hackneys were totally emasculated for many years, as they were refused admission to bus lanes,by the Department of the Environment ,on the pretext that they had no identification plates,when traffic chaos became the norm on our roads. Catch 22 was the refusal of the government to consider the issue of any identification plates whatsoever, to identify them as small public service(private) vehicles,for many years.
Two years after the industry meltdown, and an intense lobby campaign by widows of deceased taxidrivers, Minister Seamus Brennan issued the usual 'spin' a misleading press statements,indicating how generous his party had been to the many victims of this unprecedented deregulation action,-which they were forced to entertain in the end , to remain in power and placate the coalition P.D. party led by Mary Hearney.
Payments of 10,000 Euros on average, have been made to about one thousand of the worst affected victims,such as widows,and retired taxi-drivers who had made no private pension provision in the mistaken belief that they would always have a rental income from their investment-in the same way that a publican rents a pub licence;or a farmer rents a milk quota ;or a fisherman rents a fish quota.
Only people who could provide compelling hard evidence of ‘hardship and loss of income to an investigating panel,received consideration
This ‘generous’ sum had to compensate them for the loss of their primary pension source for the rest of their lives.
If that is considered worthy of a press release(read’spin’) indicating Fianna Fail’s benevolence to their former friends and ardent supporters; then the taxi drivers don’t need enemies.Better by far to be in the building trade or land speculation.
The local authorities have since made a staggering 50 million Euros profit from the countrywide sale of taxi plates at 6000,Euros a go.! Hundreds of new plates are coming on stream every month and now doubt will continue to do so,until the market and reaches its own 'natural' balance,which will not be a happy one for many of those within the industry.
Approximately 10 million Euros has been paid in compensation to widows.According to Minister Brennan the matter(debacle) is now closed.
Corruption pays ,it seems on all counts-but the proceeds always end up in Fianna Fail’s bank accounts."
Its all happening. and its happening
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qChpywqicIQ
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Originally Posted by untouchable
