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FORMER TAOISEACH BERTIE Ahern made his highly-anticipated appearance before the banking inquiry this afternoon.
Giving his first detailed remarks on the financial crisis, Ahern focussed on his time as taoiseach from 1997 to 2008 and faced questions about his economic policies, relationship with property developers and the housing bubble among many other things.
It was a classic Ahern performance littered with his famous ‘Bertiespeak’ and one or two sly digs at the opposition as if he were still in the Dáil chamber.
Here’s what we learned from his lengthy session before the committee:
1. He’s sorry
Towards the end of a lengthy and fact-laden opening statement, Ahern did what most other witnesses have done: he apologised for the mistakes he made, stating:
Of course, I apologise for my mistakes, but I am also pleased that I did get a lot of things right.
It was classic Bertie, giving some ground but not a lot.
He said that he had tried to do the right thing by the Irish people and made reference to the better trains, schools and hospitals, with more staff in better buildings as a result of his government’s spending.
2. But it wasn’t all his fault
Ahern very clearly abdicated responsibility when it came to the actions of the Central Bank and the financial regulator. He said “you just believed” that they were on top of the issues within Irish banks. Of the regulator – whom he had never met – he said:
I am damned if I am going to take responsibility for something that wasn’t [my responsibility].
He repeatedly pointed to the economy having been over-reliant on the property sector in terms of taxation, saying he only realised this in 2009 – after the crash.
“If hindsight was foresight, I’d be a billionaire – and so would you, deputy,” he told Fine Gael TD Eoghan Murphy at one stage.
3. It was okay when he left
Ahern was asked directly if he believed that the fundamentals of the Irish economy were sound when he stood down to allow Brian Cowen become Taoiseach in May 2008. His response was simple: “Definitely.”
He paid tribute to the work of Cowen and the late former finance minister Brian Lenihan, saying “they did their best in the circumstances”.
But he did remark at one stage that he had known former ECB chief Jean-Claude Juncker since the early 1990s when he was minister for finance and suggested he could have “put a bit of a lean on him”.
4. His book came in handy
There was an awkward moment right at the start of questioning from Pearse Doherty when the Sinn Féin TD asked why some of Ahern’s opening statement was word for word the same as passages of his autobiography.
Slightly taken aback, Ahern said his views hadn’t changed since then. Some three pages of his opening statement were verbatim from his book, we understand.
5. On property developers
Doherty probed the area of Fianna Fáil’s relationship with property developers. Ahern insisted that Fianna Fáil attempted to interact with as many sectors as possible but said he did not believe he was too close to developers:
I don’t believe that I personally had much interaction with property developers. I did deal a considerable amount with the CIF (Construction Industry Federation).
6. The Galway Tent was “a bit of craic”
Ahern robustly defended the infamous Fianna Fáil fundraiser at the Galway Races. He said his successors were wrong to “run away” from the Galway Tent. Under questioning from Susan O’Keeffe, he half-joked that the tent provided cover from the rain.
Describing it as “a bit of craic”, Ahern also noted that some people met their future wives there, had a bit of fun and would “get a bit of food”. He claimed that he never had any conversations about business or policy with developers or anyone else in the tent.
7. He had a few sly digs
Ahern was not nearly as robust or truculent as Brian Cowen was, but he had some classic digs at the opposition. In Pearse Doherty’s case he noted the Sinn Féin deputy “seemed to have a bit of an obsession with Fianna Fáil tents”.
At one point he claimed Doherty had asked him 10 questions. “Mr Ahern, I only asked you one question,” the Donegal deputy shot back.
8. Smug Bertie
Under questioning from Fine Gael’s Eoghan Murphy, Ahern was asked whether elections influenced budgetary decisions, Ahern effectively said it had no impact in 2002.
I hadn’t that much competition in 2002 so I wasn’t that worried about whether I’d be elected Taoiseach or not.
He later remarked on how he can still hear the opposition at the time calling for more spending on “this, that and the other”.
If I’d listened to the opposition I would have spent three times more.
9. He would have carried on
Asked by his former Fianna Fáil colleague Michael McGrath if the Mahon Tribunal distracted him while he was Taoiseach, Ahern insisted he largely ignored the issue at the time.
He said he stepped down because the revelations emerging from it were becoming a distraction for his cabinet colleagues. He added:
I would have stayed on. Not like some former leaders until they were 80, but I certainly would have stayed on for another 18 months.
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This is like reading a plot from fr. Ted. He really doesn’t give a damn does he, it just seems like a day out for him. It would be funny, if it wasn’t so serious!
This enquiry is chasing the rainbow’s end. How many times did we hear ‘I didn’t know!!’ The point is, you should’ve known. That was your job Bertie. You were CEO. The book stops with you, period. You ignored the icebergs and jumped ship before the collision. There has been many casualties as a result.
Just in case anyone missed is yesterday;
Bertie made coillte exempt from freedom of information act before he left office by a legal stroke. Coilltes lands, our forests, and the resources found therein after he commissioned a very large survey.
Then he went work for a swiss consortium shortly after leaving office, who wanted to buy coillte when the state assets were being auctioned off in the crash he helped cause . Naturally he was one of the few who knew the true value whuch he made secret deliberately.
This is all fact.
Bertie ahern is treasonous skum of the highest degree. Up there with hogan, kelly, bruton, kenny and others.
Filth.
Never forget this.
It was men against boys yesterday.
The Bert waltzed in & made fools of them all, they didn’t lay a glove on him.
Same with Cowen.
It’s desperately disappointing but I have to say that the whole thing is a charade, a waste of money & should be wound up.
The dog ate my homework.
It’s becoming increasingly obvious that investigating the cause of the crisis is not as important as investigating the legality of the response to it.
The banks lied and the state paid.
How could that ever be constitutionally valid?
For me his pension isn’t really the problem – we voted him in and as part of that he was always going to be entitled to a pension.
The main problem is that he was clearly on the take and has completely got away with it.
Proof – read Yates book and be assured the blue shirts are not slow about rewarding themselves. Lowrys question to Yates on entering government – do you know anywhere I can hide a few bob – I bet it was more than Bertie won on the horses
Yeah I’ve no doubt Lowry was on the take too. I don’t get this whole – well they did it too/they did it first attitude. They abused positions of power and got away with it. Haven’t an ounce of respect for any person of any party who can’t explain where they got their money from/asked people of lie for them etc
Finton o Toole hit the nail on the head when he said the Galway tent was not a place deals were done but everyone could see who was connected…
We should have a woman in a habit banging a gong and saying Shame every 3 seconds just like in Game of Thrones. Be the least we could do for Bertie.
That young Bolton fellow and his dogs would do Gods work at a Fianna Fáil ard fheis.
Said it before , say it again. The most common word out of politicians past and present is I am sorry. Pity they don’t show it. They still take the money and pensions. Parasites.
He’s sorry, but he did nothing wrong.
Lying little weasel, everyone in government knew there was a shitstorm on the way months before he stepped down. Claiming that he didn’t look out for vested interests in the property sector from 2002 is just insulting peoples intelligence.
Haven’t heard so much B.S. Since he was last in office. The truth would choke him. Should be locked up.
If ignorance was a crime the amount of people like you in jail would eat up all revenue to keep yis all there
There’s a poll above that says 77% of people agree with me Pat. So piddle right off. No forgiveness for his underhanded dealings. FF Mafia.
Poor reflection on the committee that, in my opinion anyway , Bertie came out of today’s “grilling” in a better place than before it.
They hardly laid a glove on him today.
Christ, he’s a rat-faced, lying, smug, conniving piece of filth.
“some of Ahern’s opening statement was word for word the same as passages of his autobiography.”
That this is allowed to just happen shows just how useless and short-sighted this country is. We allow people like this to get away with absolute uselessness and corruption in office and then swan off with massive pensions. We allow this to happen and then it happens with the next crowd. And the next crowd. And all we do is sit and post moany little messages on websites because we are powerless to stop it.
This banking enquiry is to date a complete farce-finger pointing in all directions and not one person to date,showing no genuine shame nor remorse,nor contrition….
He’s a waffler lads
Bertie – a silly name for a silly man. He’s looking quite elderly now – thankfully he can’t take it with him. Satan wouldn’t trust the cheques he’d draw anyway !
Oh that’s ok so, No Jailtime for Bertie either
Sure how could he have known about anything? He did’nt even have a bank account.
1 thing I learned about him long time ago was that he was a down and out muppet
His facial features have aged he look ugly but then why would I think any thing else this man has created a horrible existence for some families and future generations for decades to come.
F….R should be sent to jail in North Korea
Apparently he didn’t stop farting throughout the whole thing. Stifled the guys asking questions. Comes across on the footage, a few run out and one lad vomits in the corner.
A Soviet trick from when their captured spies were interrogated.
This guy is tough.
tough no, slimy yes.
feck off with the gifs lads
If Bertie was sorry he would give away the majority of his €150,000+ yearly Pension to Irish mental health & homeless charities for the countless life’s he ruined
Politicians questing each other what do we expect come on ?
It sounds like he had a lot of prepared and practiced answers and phrases to these questions. “deputy, you’ve asked me ten questions about this and I feel I have given an honest and frank account” Blah blah blah. Bull bull bull.
I wasn’t worried if I’d be elected taoiseach or not..arrogant git! this post should be held with pride with the knowledge its gonna be tough. you should have concern when taking it on that you can do the job well. not bring so flippant like him and so many others are…greedy snouted piggie’s is all they are. only when there is punishment and real accountability will we get a good taoiseach.
He is still the rat in the Anorak and always will be there still in denial the little speech about how sad he was for all the people that were left with nothing seem to be norm after that it’s the case of all the good I did and why would he think any different didn’t he just get rise in his PENSION
Nobody told me we were going to crash except those I told to commit suicide. Really Bertie!
Odious lying two faced arrogant smug pompous corrupt sickening TOAD
To the best of my knowledge I had no contact with anyone in the banks I don’t even have a bank a/c!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We all partied.
Not all of us partied, some of us only arrived on the job scene when the crash hit! what about our kids and kids kids who will be paying this all back?!? Did they party?!
He enjoyed his run of it while he could and jumped when it suited him
confirmed he is a crook,and his party knew and are part of it.
It was all just “Smoke and Daggers”
My god he’s aged !
I find it nauseous to hear Bertie talking, the sh..e he expects the us to swallow is obnoxious it would offend the intelligence of a worm. What he and the government did was Economic Sabotage and they should be jailed like the farmer in Louth was for Economic Sabotage when he brought sheep from Scotland during the foot and mouth breakoot a few years ago. “Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely”, it was Treason absolute treason and nothing short of it.Nothing has been learned because I find it equally nauseous to listen to Enda and his treasonous favours to very well heeled benefactors. The gravy train continues with the way Irish water has been set up, with emphasis on Set Up.
Bertie might as well be a Biollionaire withe the Hanson Pension the workers of this country are PAYING TO HIM and his likes.
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