FF and DUP – two sleazy peas in a pod

[Donagh]

While the media have been focusing on Bertie receiving £30k from the owner of his rented house, under the radar is slipping Ian Og Paisley who received bought a posh apartment in Portballintrae from property developer and DUP member Seymour Sweeney. Coincidently DUP Environment Minister Arlene Foster and DUP Economy Minister Nigel Dodds yesterday dropped plans to back the National Trust application to build a Visitor centre at the Giants Causeway, in favour of a private development by 'Seaport Developments', owned by one Seymour Sweeney. Mr Sweeney pictured here with Og and Mor:


denies ever having given "a penny piece" to the DUP. The development in which Mr Paisley now lives was donated to the state for public use and later sold to Sweeney who overcame massive local protests about the development to build his apartment complex. Mr Sweeney also owns a bank of land ringing the Causeway World Heritage site in Paisley's North Antrim constituency. 

[Bensars]

So does that mean donagh, that anyone who is a member of SF and also happens to be in construction, property development or the like should not tender for public projects ?

[Hurler on the Bitch]

Maybe I'm just bored with the whole polirtical sham at Stormont. Fifteen years ago, we were waking up to bodies being found in entries etc etc. Now, if this is the nitty-gritty of politics today, whereby all the well-paid psycophants at Stormont can grandstand about this, well that's what I call progress. By the way, this is only the tip of the iceberg and they're all at it! Politics pays! While those 'ordianary punters' who lived through the 25 years of bullshit are still on the valium - no Executive cars for them!

[Donagh]

So does that mean donagh, that anyone who is a member of SF and also happens to be in construction, property development or the like should not tender for public projects ?

But he didn't tender Bensars– he was gifted it by the DUP.

[Donagh]

Maybe I'm just bored with the whole polirtical sham at Stormont. Fifteen years ago, we were waking up to bodies being found in entries etc etc. Now, if this is the nitty-gritty of politics today, whereby all the well-paid psycophants at Stormont can grandstand about this, well that's what I call progress. By the way, this is only the tip of the iceberg and they're all at it! Politics pays! While those 'ordianary punters' who lived through the 25 years of bullshit are still on the valium - no Executive cars for them!

It's been my opinion for a long time that it's only the tip of the iceberg Hurler, why is why donations to political parties in the north should be declared and open to public scrutiny.

[Billys Boots]

why donations to political parties in the north should be declared and open to public scrutiny

There'll never be a united Ireland if you're going to be wanting this kind of thing Donagh. 

[lynchbhoy]

Maybe I'm just bored with the whole polirtical sham at Stormont. Fifteen years ago, we were waking up to bodies being found in entries etc etc. Now, if this is the nitty-gritty of politics today, whereby all the well-paid psycophants at Stormont can grandstand about this, well that's what I call progress. By the way, this is only the tip of the iceberg and they're all at it! Politics pays! While those 'ordianary punters' who lived through the 25 years of bullshit are still on the valium - no Executive cars for them!

its not just political limbo in NI, and will be for a while yet.
At least its better than the previous era.

DUP have always been on the make , esp down south.

But , they still have a long way to go to be as smart and as good as the FF (Brown envelope boys)
Although people from other countries say that our top bankhander acceptors are in the ha'penny place in comparison to their own countries politicians - South Africa, Russia notable examples from what I am told...

its all about money now, north and south , and the politicians have the power - there is feck all we can do about it, and voting in an alternative crew makes no odds, as they are all at it and they dont have to even be in gov these days to get their palms greased.

As long as we are relatively prosperous, we will talk about it and do nothing.

[Donagh]

Wouldn't you just have loved to be a fly on the wall at this a few years back:

UUP candidate Michael McGimpsey accused the DUP of hypocrisy after he learned that leading members had been wined and dined at a secret dinner in Dublin. According to Mr McGimpsey a private jet was sent to Belfast City Airport "by one of the richest men in the Irish Republic" to bring the DUP hierarchy south for a dinner at the Lords' Club in the Bank of Ireland building on College Green.

"Yesterday Dr Paisley warned (Irish prime minister) Bertie Ahern to keep his dirty hands out of Ulster politics and out of Northern Ireland," he said.

"What I would love to know from Dr Paisley is why, after the general election was called Tuesday, a week ago, a private jet was sent to the City Airport, the jet was owned by one of the richest men in the Irish Republic and flew the DUP hierarchy to a secret dinner in Dublin.

"That dinner took place in one of the most exclusive clubs in Dublin, The Lords' Club, at College Green and at that meeting was a number of bankers, financiers and big business interests in the Irish Republic.

"What I want to know, and I think what the average DUP voter is entitled to know, is who was at the meeting and what was being discussed at that secret meeting?"

The DUP MP for North Belfast, Nigel Dodds, claimed that the delegation was "seeking to bring jobs and investment to Northern Ireland", but the party's deputy leader, Peter Robinson, justified the visit and the dinner on the basis that it was hosted in a room adorned with tapestries of the Battle of the Boyne and the Siege of Derry.

Aye right Peter...

[Donagh]

It gets better

Government memo shows rejection of private plan for project was expected
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
By David Gordon
Senior Government officials expected planners to recommend refusal for the proposed private sector visitor centre at the Giant's Causeway, the Belfast Telegraph has learned.
The revelation will fuel speculation about the extent to which DUP Environment Minister Arlene Foster followed Planning Service advice on the controversial Causeway scheme.

Mrs Foster last week announced that she was "minded" to grant developer Seymour Sweeney approval for a new visitor centre close to the famous tourist attraction.

The Department of the Environment has so far refused to disclose what Planning Service advised the Minister to do in the case - or whether she overruled any of its recommendations.

An internal Government memo obtained by this newspaper has now added to the intrigue.

The document was written in April by a senior Department of Enterprise (DETI) civil servant closely involved in plans for a publicly-fundeed visitor centre. The recipient was DETI's permanent secretary Stephen Quinn.

Referring to the current position regarding Mr Sweeney's Causeway planning application, the memo stated: "A recommendation to decline the application is expected to go to the Planning Service Management Board this week.

"It will be a matter for the Management Board to decide what action is taken next."

The DoE is remaining tight-lipped about the recommendations that came from planning officials who handled the Sweeney file, or from the Planning Service Management Board which also considered the application.

DUP Enterprise Minister Nigel Dodds last week shelved his Department's public sector visitor centre plan, in light of Mrs Foster's views on the Sweeney proposal.

Mr Dodds is due to face questions today on his decision from the Assembly's Enterprise Committee, which is chaired by SDLP leader Mark Durkan.

The two organisations involved in the DETI scheme - the National Trust and Moyle Council - will also give evidence to the committee.

They have both underlined their opposition to the Sweeney plan.