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We're FINALLY set to get answers from the ECB about the banking collapse

Here’s everything you need to know about what’s happening in Irish politics right now…

DO YOU WANT State of the Nation delivered to your inbox every morning at 9.30am? Sign-up to our email alert at the bottom of this story.

Everyone’s talking about…

The banking inquiry enters its ‘Nexus Phase’ today, with Frank Daly and Brendan McDonagh, the chair and CEO of NAMA, appearing over the course of two sittings.

Germany Europe Financial Crisis Jean Claude Trichet AP / Press Association Images AP / Press Association Images / Press Association Images

No doubt, the pair will have some interesting insights into how the banking collapse was handled. However, attention is already turning to the questioning of another key player.

Former European Central Bank (ECB) President Jean Claude Trichet will engage with the inquiry next week – although in a different way to all other witnesses.

Banking committee members will question Trichet in two 45-minute sessions - about the events that led to Ireland’s bailout programme and the bank guarantee, at a conference organised by the Irish Institute for International and European Affairs on Thursday 30 April.

Labour Party Election Campaigns Ciaran Lynch

Committee chair Ciaran Lynch told TheJournal.ie this morning: “The importance of engaging with Mr Trichet is that it provides an opportunity for the inquiry to obtain evidence that will inform its final report.”

Lynch said meeting Trichet is one of a number of routes the committee is taking to “provide the public with the fullest picture” of what happened in the run-up to, and aftermath of, the banking collapse. He rightly pointed out that “many pieces of the jigsaw” are still missing.

The Labour TD admitted he would have preferred to question Trichet in Leinster House, but said this was “never” going to happen. The ECB has continually said it is “not in a position to participate in inquiries conducted by national parliaments” as it is accountable to European institutions.

The agenda

  • Jan O’Sullivan will be answering education-related questions in the Dáil at 9.30am
  • Frank Daly and Brendan McDonagh, the chair and CEO of NAMA, will appear before the banking inquiry at 9.30am, at again at 2.30pm
  • The foreign affairs committee will discuss several issues from 10am onwards, including the recent migrant tragedy off the coast of Libya and the detention of Ibrahim Halawa in Egypt.
  • Taoiseach Enda Kenny will be in the firing line during Leaders’ Questions at noon
  • Peter Cassells, chair of the expert group on future funding for higher education, and representatives from the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) will be questioned by the education committee at 1pm about higher education funding and reform of the student grant system. 
  • David Duffy, CEO of Allied Irish Bank, will appear before the finance committee at 2pm. He’s expected to say the bank’s variable mortgage rates can’t be cut. 
  • TDs will debate two bills from 2.39pm onwards – one aimed at providing free GP care for over 70s, and one that will establish a Legal Services Regulatory Authority.
  • A Fianna Fáil-proposed motion on providing extra supports for SMEs will be be debated from 7.30pm until 9pm. 

What the others are saying

  • Several papers report that the lawyer for former Justice Minister Alan Shatter told the High Court his client was not given a chance to respond to the Guerin inquiry into handling of claims by garda whistleblowers. 
  • Fianna Fáil is set to launch a number of childcare-related proposals at its Ard Fheis this weekend, including tax credits for working parents, according to the Irish Examiner
  • The Irish Independent reports that Fianna Fáil councillor and former minister Mary Hanafin has said the party “stands for nothing”. 

Inside Leinster House

summer suit Bernard Durkan

After much speculation, it was confirmed summer has arrived early.

In case you missed it 

On the Twitter machine

There was a lot of buzz about Catherine Murphy’s highly-redacted FOI documents about the IBRC sale of SiteServ.

Originally published: 9am

Read: Are these two men fighting the real battle of the next election?

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26 Comments
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    Mute Jack Delaney
    Favourite Jack Delaney
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    Apr 22nd 2015, 9:26 AM

    The ECB states the it not answerable to national governments. I would like to know to whom exactly it is answerable to?

    I think it is time for Ireland to examine our relationship with the EU and the rules of this club that seems to be run by and for the exclusive benefit of the big three.

    129
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    Mute rory conway
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    Apr 22nd 2015, 10:07 AM

    Jack , good point. Also , Draghi has answered in the Italian Parliament . Why won’t this guy go to our Oireachtas?

    77
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    Mute Mjhint
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    Apr 22nd 2015, 2:28 PM

    Jack did anyone ever doubt that it has always been run for the benefit of the big three. In my job that has been blatantly obvious for over 30 years. Its only in the last 10 that we have had to comply with the help of our own governments. We have been scoring an own goal constantly since.

    14
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    Mute Hermes
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    Apr 22nd 2015, 3:32 PM

    Fiscal Treaty 2 – is now a legal imperative considering the cover-up of the Trichet letter until it was passed – Would it pass now ? – Would it F…k !

    5
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    Mute Joseph O'Regan
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    Apr 22nd 2015, 9:27 AM

    Trichet is only making a showing because he knows that the people have woken up to the bail out con job. he wants to put some spin on why it was so important to financially enslave the people of this country for the foreseeable future.

    94
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    Mute Hermes
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    Apr 22nd 2015, 3:31 PM

    Will he get out alive ? – Sin an Ceist .

    7
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    Mute johnr
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    Apr 22nd 2015, 10:09 AM

    We are mushrooms, fed shiit and kept in the dark.

    68
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    Mute Lucille Ball
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    Apr 22nd 2015, 12:39 PM

    Correct!

    24
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    Mute Scottie Delaney
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    Apr 22nd 2015, 9:57 AM

    The only things you need to know about the banking inquiry; millions of taxpayers money will be wasted, political theatre will be in full effect, fcuk all transparency and ultimately there will never be any accountability…..boils my Pi$$!

    55
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    Mute @mdmak33
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    Apr 22nd 2015, 10:31 AM

    Yeah,7 years later they are going to grill him,they won’t give him time to think of excuses,they are striking when the iron is hot,fair play to ye.

    53
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    Mute Eugene Conroy
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    Apr 22nd 2015, 9:27 AM

    This banking inquire is starting to bore.
    I’ve said it before. Permit me the issue and control of a countries monies and I care not who makes the law……

    42
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    Mute D H
    Favourite D H
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    Apr 22nd 2015, 1:56 PM

    This inquiry may shed some light on this but what i want to know is when are the low lifes responsible are going to be prosecuted for any criminal wrong doings? We are spending millions on an inquiry and at the end of the day nothing is done about it.

    9
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    Mute eire366
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    Apr 22nd 2015, 10:49 AM

    Mr Trichet illegally stepped beyond his ECB remit when he threatened to withdraw liquidity funding from Irish banks at the height of the banking crisis in order to make a national government bend to his political will.

    Ridiculous and scandalous when u consider the ECB is suppose to deal with money supply (not unsupply) and inflation only…..everything else is for the politicians to sort out, as per the treaties…..but who cares about all that Mr Trichet when u have Angela Merkel and whoever else on the end of the phone eh?

    He threw Ireland under the bus (with the help of an incompetent and naive Irish government)…..there’s no way he’d voluntarily show up in Leinster House to clarify anything.

    40
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    Mute Ryan Anth
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    Apr 22nd 2015, 1:08 PM

    What happened is sadly very simple, in two steps:

    1. The banks were deregulated across the western world, and allowed to gamble with savings and deposits for the first time since the great depression in most countries, their gambling built a giant house of cards that eventually came crashing down when it got away from them.

    2. Because they used our savings and deposits they were able to team up with the ECB to say “bail us out or we take your money down with us” and they knew in most EU countries, esp Ireland, they had a cabinet that had no real understanding of even basic economics so they are easy to manipulate.

    3. Despite this fact, Lenihan and a few others think “well Anglo has no atms or current accounts why don’t we let that fail?” and this clown threatened to refuse to help fund our deficit if he did that, and our cabinet, being again economically ignorant, didn’t realize that this was a total bluff, that if they’d let us go down we’d have taken the entire Euro with us.

    The worst news? No real reforms in place since and in 8-10 years it will all happen again.

    26
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    Mute Coco McDee
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    Apr 22nd 2015, 11:14 AM

    ELECTION NOW
    END BANKSTER BUDDIE NOONANS REIGN

    25
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    Mute Diarmuid
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    Apr 22nd 2015, 1:21 PM

    your caps are on…

    3
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    Mute John Byrne
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    Apr 22nd 2015, 11:11 AM

    I thought all this stuff that’s unfolding now was just tin foil hat conspiracy nonsense , how wrong I was !

    24
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    Mute Coco McDee
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    Apr 22nd 2015, 11:19 AM

    The conspirators are the government and their elite buddies conspiring against the people for their own greedy ends. Mass boycott the water tax imposed on us to keep their machine oiled nothing to with maintaining pipes.

    23
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    Mute Rory J Leonard
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    Apr 22nd 2015, 10:53 AM

    Hope someone from Ireland’s Banking Inquiry asks Jean-Claud Trichet whether ECB now has essential checks-and-balance procedures in place at ECB to ensure no National Central Bank within eurozone can crash an economy like what happened with Ireland’s.

    ECB, aided and abetted by Ireland’s CB, are as guilty as hell in my book, for the fiscal cock up of biblical proportions visited on our economy following 2008 Financial crisis, the effects of which will linger for generations.

    Hope Shane Ross is chomping at the bit for this showdown?

    23
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    Mute Jeannie Laing
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    Apr 22nd 2015, 10:24 AM

    So Right” Scottie “Transparency be dammed” inthe the full knowledge,we can milk the cash cows, makes me so angry

    22
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    Mute james r
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    Apr 22nd 2015, 1:06 PM

    Biggest heist in Irish history .. Well planned well orchestrated .. White collar crime and no accountability

    21
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    Mute UndercoverGarda
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    Apr 22nd 2015, 2:36 PM

    We know who’s accountable. The problem is no prison time has been served, no sentences handed down. 7 years and not a single banker or politician serving time.

    Let that linger.

    11
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    Mute Sheik Yahbouti
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    Apr 22nd 2015, 3:08 PM

    I’m sure they’ll be enormously illuminating……snore, snore, snore. If ANYONE thinks that even one of this pack of jackals is remotely interested in speaking the truth at this ridiculous enquiry they are sadly mistaken. I take this opportunity, hower, of saluting Joe Higgins for his valiant efforts, nonetheless.

    9
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    Mute Jack Dunne
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    Apr 22nd 2015, 12:26 PM

    The ECB is answerable to the Bond Holders, the European Central Bondholders

    9
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    Mute Rob Mills
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    Apr 22nd 2015, 4:04 PM

    We should arrest him as soon as he arrives.

    6
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    Mute Michael Sands
    Favourite Michael Sands
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    Apr 22nd 2015, 11:59 PM

    It is magic…

    1
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