Trevor Sargent in hot water over headed notepaper letter to Garda

[bagel]

9/4 still available for 2010 GE. I think it is safe to say, this is an offer not to be missed. I could see some sunshine yet this year!

if so, it would probably make sense to schedule an election for soon after the dail resumes after its summer recess, that way the members get to milk it whilst on holidays whilst at the same time giving the government deputies the opportunity to up their game for a few weeks before the announcement

[MPB]

At this stage, Noel Whelan spends all his time on this website reading Digout's posts.

Is Digout gone again. I have not heard from him on this or maybe I missed him?

[toxic avenger]

At this point it's almost irrelevant who leaked it. The trust is clearly not there, as seen in Gormley's refusal to rule out Fianna Fáil's involvement. The impression among disinterested observers is that the Greens have been put in their place. Even if untrue, the damage to their reputation is done. The 'revenge' theory is the one that will do the rounds tonight.

[mixer73]

Is Digout gone again. I have not heard from him on this or maybe I missed him?

Maybe he's worried they will discover it was him?

[Simbo67]

So next up is Mary Coughlin?

[rubensni]

The constitution prohibits non-TDs being a Finance minister or Taoiseach...

...or tainiste.

I can't imagine it has specific provisions saying that a junior minister can't be a senator, given it doesn't AFAIK refer to junior ministers, and given a senator can actually be a proper minister.

I think you're right here Dotski; no mention of junior ministers in the constitution, very little about the rest of them either:

Art 28.12
"The following matters shall be regulated in accordance with law, namely, the organization of, and distribution of business amongst, Departments of State, the designation of members of the Government to be the Ministers in charge of the said Departments..."

[Lazarus]

Sorry to see Sergeant go. Decent fellow. O'Dea went because he allegedly committed perjury, and slander/libel? Sergeant was trying to give a constituent a bit of support, but he did not do what every T.D. and secretary does in such a situation. You phone the Gardai. Phone them! Never put anything in writing. Ask a few innocuous questions, get a feel for what's going on, but put nothing in writing. Done it hundreds of times, gardai, prisons, parole officers. Its amazing what you can find out by having a friendly "chat" with someone who has the answers, and who may be able to put a word in should it be necessary. It is also useful because during the "chat" one can find out just why a constituent is actually in trouble/need of help. I recall getting a call from a prisoner once. He had been in jail, at that time, for 24 years and no sign of getting parole, he wanted my boss to help him. I rang the Governer's office, spoke to his secretary, talked about how working in a prison and Dáil Eireann were very similar, and in time discovered that the "poor prisoner" was a monster.

As we all know FF have very powerful friends in place. They put them there. Hence even when they get defeated at the next GE, their pals will still be in place, giving them a nice little juicy story anytime they need one. That we cannot change. The friends in high places are there to stay. They do not serve the state. They serve F.F.

[mixer73]

anyone know who is on VB tonight?

[TommyO'Brien]

I liked the comment on RTÉ just now. Last week the Jack Russell nipped at the Rotweiller. Today the Rotweiller bit the Jack Russell's head off!!!

[imokyrok]

Here's my guess - Given that the case was only concluded a week ago and that a series of letters written by Trevour to the constituent seem to have been made available to the Herald it seems likely to me that it was the constituent who made them available. He likely feels there was a miscarriage of justice and that he was the victim and contacted the herald thinking they would highlight that. Instead they saw the far bigger story in the inappropriate action of Sargant and went for it.