'One Lousy Accountant'

[Mariella Froster]

Letter from New York in today's Irish Examiner:

Hard to figure it out

WHILE in Ireland recently I was highly amused to read your Taoiseach’s tribunal testimony — stashes of cash with little idea of how much was in each; a finance minister who did not operate a bank account, relying on third parties to cash salary cheques and leave the cash on his desk; fables of large transactions in foreign currency, but no recollection of the currency involved; stories of whip-arounds and dig-outs, non-repayable loans/debts of honour; of compliance with the tax authorities and then of possible non-compliance.

Just as well the people of Drumcondra and such parts saw fit to put Bertie in the Dáil. All the evidence suggests he was one lousy accountant.

Charlie Malone
30 River Road
New York 10044



Link

The Taoiseach is making us look like fools abroad.

[greengoose]

Letter from New York in today's Irish Examiner:

Hard to figure it out

WHILE in Ireland recently I was highly amused to read your Taoiseach’s tribunal testimony — stashes of cash with little idea of how much was in each; a finance minister who did not operate a bank account, relying on third parties to cash salary cheques and leave the cash on his desk; fables of large transactions in foreign currency, but no recollection of the currency involved; stories of whip-arounds and dig-outs, non-repayable loans/debts of honour; of compliance with the tax authorities and then of possible non-compliance.

Just as well the people of Drumcondra and such parts saw fit to put Bertie in the Dáil. All the evidence suggests he was one lousy accountant.

Charlie Malone
30 River Road
New York 10044



Link

The Taoiseach is making us look like fools abroad.

It is the portion of electorate who voted for this chap who are making fools of themselves.

[john scott]

Not that it's all that important, but is Bertie a qualified accountant? The Sunday Tribune referred to him yesterday as a qualified accountant. Which accountancy institute does he belong to?

[johnfás]

Not that it's all that important, but is Bertie a qualified accountant? The Sunday Tribune referred to him yesterday as a qualified accountant. Which accountancy institute does he belong to?

He has never furnished evidence of belong to an accountancy institute or body. Nor have any bodies stated that he is a member. He is certainly not a member of the ICAI. I think the qualification referred to is a diploma from the Rathmines College of Commerce, or whatever it was called back then. I suppose you can call him an academic then too.

[White Horse]

In deference to those people who worked hard and studied for their professional qualification, Ahern should be referred to as an accounts clerk.

Would a hospital porter be referred to as a doctor?

[Tamm-Annie Hall]

Not that it's all that important, but is Bertie a qualified accountant? The Sunday Tribune referred to him yesterday as a qualified accountant. Which accountancy institute does he belong to?

The nearest BA ever got to an accountancy "qualification" was working as a mere bookkeeper in the Mater Hospital. His subsequent CV (prophetically) untruthfully alluded to formal accountancy qualifications, and/or formal accountancy associations, from UCD and from the London School of Economics. Unfortunately for BA, not having his standard pliable dig-out friends in either of these academic institutions, these two bodies have emphatically denied he ever attended either of them in any context. When subsequently questioned as to his "inaccurate" CV it was (again, prophetically) claimed by BA that any apparent inconsistencies between his CV, and the known facts, would arise because of a possible incorrect interpretation by readers of his CV.

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose

[myk]

He is not a qualified accountant. I understand he worked as a bookkeeper.

[TheBear]

[quote=Tamm-Annie Hall]

Not that it's all that important, but is Bertie a qualified accountant? The Sunday Tribune referred to him yesterday as a qualified accountant. Which accountancy institute does he belong to?

The nearest BA ever got to an accountancy "qualification" was working as a mere bookkeeper in the Mater Hospital. His subsequent CV (prophetically) untruthfully alluded to formal accountancy qualifications, and/or formal accountancy associations, from UCD and from the London School of Economics. Unfortunately for BA, not having his standard pliable dig-out friends in either of these academic institutions, these two bodies have emphatically denied he ever attended either of them in any context. When subsequently questioned as to his "inaccurate" CV it was (again, prophetically) claimed by BA that any apparent inconsistencies between his CV, and the known facts, would arise because of a possible incorrect interpretation by readers of his CV.

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose[/quote:1elrxi9o]
And last time it was raised in the Dáil, members of the opposition were told not to be so argumentative.

[returning officer]

He is not a qualified accountant. I understand he worked as a bookkeeper.

And as the great CJH under pressure at the McCracken tribunal said
"accountants don't always make the best ministers for finance."

He was supposed to be talking about himself, but the fact that Charlie McCreevey was Minister for Finance at the time was not lost on the crowd (who contrary to the accepted version of events were split about 50:50 between cheerers and jeerers).

[madura]

Letter from New York in today's Irish Examiner:

Hard to figure it out

WHILE in Ireland recently I was highly amused to read your Taoiseach’s tribunal testimony — stashes of cash with little idea of how much was in each; a finance minister who did not operate a bank account, relying on third parties to cash salary cheques and leave the cash on his desk; fables of large transactions in foreign currency, but no recollection of the currency involved; stories of whip-arounds and dig-outs, non-repayable loans/debts of honour; of compliance with the tax authorities and then of possible non-compliance.

Just as well the people of Drumcondra and such parts saw fit to put Bertie in the Dáil. All the evidence suggests he was one lousy accountant.

Charlie Malone
30 River Road
New York 10044



Link

The Taoiseach is making us look like fools abroad.

Abroad? The writer sounds like someone with a lot of ties to the oul' sod. Ireland, that is.

Just as well the people of Drumcondra and such parts saw fit to put Bertie in the Dáil.