Libertas O'Malley calls for end to MEP gravy train

[garryos]

Raymond O'Malley of Libertas has exposed Mairead McGuinness 48K little rental deal of her constituency office at her home near Ardee. She doesn't like this being made public.
It got a headline in today's Sindo: McGuinness calls expenses claim 'the pits' - National News, Frontpage - Independent.ie

Raymond O'Malley - Libertas raised the issues of MEP expenses. In particular, the FG MEP Mairead McGuinness who uses a box room above her garage as her constituency office - and claims it all on expenses.

People will be amazed to learn that they are paying Mairead McGuinness of Fine Gael 48,000 euro a year for the use of a box room above her garage, which she uses as her constituency office. Along with heating, lighting and stamps, I think this is mighty expensive. Perhaps she thinks the taxpayer is getting a good deal? I say the taxpayer is getting ripped off in this little rental deal.

'Libertas campaigns for politicians to be accountable to the people, I am deeply disappointed that it has taken weeks of raising the issue of MEP expenses and transparency by Libertas that, along with questions from the media which has finally led Mrs McGuinness to give us a glimpse of her expenses.

'She lists her home address as her constitutency office. We’ve heard of the gravy train, but I suggest she renames her home – ‘Honeytrap.’ While is it disappointing that it has taken her 5 years as an MEP to lay out her expenses, in Libertas’ estimation, it is not surprising.

MEPs also voted on the Cashman Report giving greater public accessibility to EU documents.

All the FG MEPs including McGuinness, along with Aylward and Crowley of FF - voted for amendment 115 of the Cashman Report , to keep MEP's accounts from being made public.

Libertas thinks it quite appalling that every Fine Gael MEP also voted against an EU parliament measure to bring in greater transparency and public access to documents relating to the EU institutions. This was called the Cappatto report on which McGuinness failed to vote.

‘Libertas candidates in the Euro elections will fight for transparency at the EU Parliament.
‘People should have a right to know what their MEP is voting for, when they attend and what they are spending public money on. It is appalling what some MEPs have got away with over the years.


‘The big difference between Libertas and Fine Gael or Fianna Fail is that Libertas candidates are spending private donations while FG and FF MEPs are spending public money.

More info on Cashman Report:http://www.libertas.eu/ireland/press...enses-from-you

Mairead McGuinness after 5 years as MEP put expenses online only on May 15th 2009. Salary and Expenses

[garryos]

Have a close look at Mairead McGuinness's expense claims: Salary and Expenses

3. General Expenditure Allowance

In 2008, I received €48,000 under this allowance.

This sum is paid to cover office management expenditure, phone bills, postage, the purchase, management and use of IT equipment, and travel within Ireland.

The total costs for 2008, including salary, is €450,274

She lists her home as her constituency office:

Constituency
Mentrim
Drumconrath
Navan
Co Meath

Now really, is this not really taking the mick? What do you think?

[FutureTaoiseach]

Vote out Mairead Antoinette Friday. Alright I know that ain't gonna happen but it should.

[Wakeupcall]

I am getting sick and tired of these spongers wasting our hard earned money on this dung.

We need a new party... Libertas? What is their overall stance on expenses? Would we see an expensis reform?

[garryos]

Raymond O'Malley of Libertas has already said ‘Libertas candidates in the Euro elections will fight for transparency at the EU Parliament.
‘People should have a right to know what their MEP is voting for, when they attend and what they are spending public money on. It is appalling what some MEPs have got away with over the years.'

O'Malley said Libertas will work of complete transparency of MEP expenses and an abuse of taxpayers money.

Do you think it fair, for instance, that Mairead Antoinnette (thanks FT) or

Witch from the West (Marion Harkin) can buy a return flight from Brussels to Dublin for 50 euro, but taken 1,400 euro from the taxpayer for the same fligh, irrespective of how much the flight itself cost?

Ordinary people have been getting screwed over for too long. Time for a change.

[ibis]

Do you think it fair, for instance, that Mairead Antoinnette (thanks FT) or

Witch from the West (Marion Harkin) can buy a return flight from Brussels to Dublin for 50 euro, but taken 1,400 euro from the taxpayer for the same fligh, irrespective of how much the flight itself cost?

Ordinary people have been getting screwed over for too long. Time for a change.

Fascinating. Of course, most people are unaware that exactly those unvouched expenses will no longer be possible in the new Parliament term, thanks to a vote taken back in 2005, the effects of which will kick in immediately the new term begins. Further, of course, we in Ireland have never paid for any waste by MEPs, because we've never been net contributors, and still aren't.

I look forward to Libertas next claiming that we should have autumn after summer, and claiming credit for it too.

If Libertas want a genuine target for reform that would also go towards their "€10 billion waste", perhaps they should have a read of the European audit for 2007, where they would find interesting points like this one:

5.15. With regard to rural development operations, the Court found the following types of error:

(a) agri-environmental schemes: in nine out of 13 cases audited the farmers had not met all the eligibility conditions (France
and Ireland);

...

(c) inadequate verification of the eligible area under agrienvironment measures in cases where this area did not correspond
to the data in the IACS database. As a consequence, not all the conditions for granting the support could be checked (Ireland);

(e) inconclusive and poorly documented administrative and on-the-spot controls with an over reliance on beneficiaries’
declarations before approving final payments (Ireland);

Given that Ireland received €1.762 billion of CAP money in 2007, a conservative 1% error rate there would give €17.62 million of erroneous payments in 2007, which is more than our MEPs cost the EU in their entirety. Or would that be unpopular with rural voters?

[garryos]

Abuse of taxpayers' money in the expenses scam by resident MEPs is a disgrace.

For someone to try to justify or minimise the scandal of it, but pointing to another scam involving EU taxpayers money is in the words of Mairead McGuinness 'rich'.

[ibis]

Abuse of taxpayers' money in the expenses scam by resident MEPs is a disgrace.

For someone to try to justify or minimise the scandal of it, but pointing to another scam involving EU taxpayers money is in the words of Mairead McGuinness 'rich'.

For a party who are presumably well aware of the existing reforms to claim that they are pushing for exactly such reforms is one low point in cynicism.

For a candidate from the IFA to add to that by pointing the finger at those MEP expenses already being reformed while ignoring the ongoing issues with CAP irregularities is another.

Impressive stuff - and this is the new party that will clean up Irish politics, is it? So far all Libertas have done is actually lowered the tone of Irish democracy. Sadly, that may well be their enduring legacy.

[cactusflower]

Hopefully if elected Ganley, Simmons and O'Malley will be using the 10 euro a night caravan accommodation that Libertas's Bulgarian delegates to Rome found themselves in.

[johnfás]

Libertas want to stop the gravy train by maintaining 27 Commissioners when in reality there is only a need for between 13 and 17?