Blogger considers legal

action over Garda caution at

airport
Catherine Kelly stopped by garda over social media
comments about Regina Doherty
July 7, 17
Harry McGee, Conor Gallagher, Michael O'Regan

Regina Doherty made a complaint about Catherine Kelly over online and
social media comments.
A New York-based blogger who was stopped and
cautioned by garda at Dublin Airport about social media
posts she made about Minister for Employment Regina
Doherty is considering legal action against garda.
The Minister made a criminal complaint of harassment
under the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act
1997 Act over online and social media comments made
by Tyrone-born woman, Catherine Kelly. Ms Kelly made
a series of criticisms of the Meath East Fine Gael TD
about the collapse of a company run by Ms Doherty and
her husband eight years ago.
Ms Kelly was approached by two garda at the airport on
June 27th who asked to confirm her identity and then
cautioned her about her social media posts.
Describing the encounter as a sinister and chilling
experience Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger told the Dil
Ms Kelly was cautioned not to tweet about Ms Doherty
or publish any material relevant to her again.
Ms Kelly, whose partner, Jim Cullen, is the head of
Friends of Sinn Fin in New York, has hired Irish
solicitor Michael Finucane and written to Minister for
Justice Charlie Flanagan, alleging she was falsely
imprisoned.
The complaint by Ms Doherty was made under Section
10 of the Non-Fatal Offences against the Person Act
1997. It states: Any person who, without lawful
authority or reasonable excuse, by any means including
by use of the telephone, harasses another by persistently
following, watching, pestering, besetting or
communicating with him or her, shall be guilty of an
offence.
It is not known if Ms Doherty was directly contacted by
Ms Kelly. Garda made the decision to question her at
the airport, but it is not known how they knew about her
travel plans.
Highly unusual
Garda sources said the decision to issue a caution in
such a fashion was highly unusual. Normally garda
would deal with the matter over the phone or make
arrangements to meet by appointment.
Mr Finucane has written to Pearse Street Garda station
seeking an explanation. A letter has also been written to
Dublin Airport seeking CCTV footage of the incident.
Ms Coppinger said: She was told to sign a statement.
Her name was obviously given to the garda by the
airline. She was told to sign a statement or she wouldnt
be allowed to proceed to the gate.
Is it now Government policy to attack anybody who
criticises anyone in the Government on social media in
this very sinister way in a very legitimate article that was
not abusive? she asked in the Dil.
Seamus Dooley of the National Union of Journalists said
Ms Doherty could sue for defamation if she wished, but
did not have the right to act in a way which sought to
undermine freedom of expression.
https://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/blogger-considers-legal-action-over-garda-caution-
at-airport-1.3145958#.WV8t0tJ55DJ.facebook

Mr Finucane has written to Pearse Street Garda station seeking an explanation. A letter has
also been written to Dublin Airport seeking CCTV footage of the incident.
Ms Coppinger said: She was told to sign a statement. Her name was obviously given to the
garda by the airline. She was told to sign a statement or she wouldnt be allowed to proceed
to the gate.
Is it now Government policy to attack anybody who criticises anyone in the Government on
social media in this very sinister way in a very legitimate article that was not abusive? she asked in
the Dil.
Seamus Dooley of the National Union of Journalists said Ms Doherty could sue for defamation if she
wished, but did not have the right to act in a way which sought to undermine freedom of expression.

Garda spoke to woman who

wrote about Regina Doherty,
Dil told
Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger claims academic subjected
to sinister experience at airport
July 7, 17
Michael O'Regan

Is it now Government policy to attack, in this very sinister way, anybody who
criticises anyone in the Government on social media? Ruth Coppinger said.
Photograph: Cyril Byrne
A US-based academic Catherine Kelly had a sinister and
chilling experience at an Irish airport last week, Solidarity
TD Ruth Coppinger claimed in the Dil.



Fine Gael TD's firm folds
with debts of 280,000

Donal O'Donovan and Fiach Kelly

January 23 2013

A Fine Gael TD regarded as a rising star in the party could face prosecution
after a company she owns went into liquidation with questions over how the
firm was run.

Meath East TD Regina Doherty could face prosecution by the Director of

Corporate Enforcement following the liquidation of her Enhanced Solutions
Ltd company last week.

A creditors meeting to put the business into liquidation was held last week.
Losses are understood to be 280,000, including almost 60,000 owed to the
Revenue Commissioners and 50,000 owed to state owned bank AIB.

Business failure is not an offence but accounts filed before the liquidation
reveal damning evidence that the company was not being properly run.

In a special report dated August 2012 the company's own independent

auditors said it had failed to keep proper books of accounts in 2010, the last
period covered by filed financial accounts.

Auditors BCC Accountants issued the special report to the directors of

Enhanced Solutions, saying they had "not obtained all the information and
explanations" necessary for the purposes of auditing the company.
"We determined that proper books of accounts had not been kept by the
company," the report said. "The directors have since taken the necessary steps
to ensure proper books of account are being kept by the company (going
forward)," BCC said.

Failing to keep proper books of accounts is a specific offence under Section

202 of the Companies Act.

As a director of the IT consultancy, the Meath TD could potentially faces

serious penalties, including in the extreme case up to five years in jail, and
10,000 in fines.

The book-keeping breaches become a serious offence if a company later goes

into liquidation as Regina Doherty's Enhanced Solutions Ltd did earlier this
month and the accounting failure is regarded as part of the reason why the
company went under.

Jail sentences and heavy fines specifically come into play if the failures to keep
the books led to some creditors being left out of pocket, more than they would
have been in a normal liquidation or if the failures made it harder to shut the
business down in an orderly fashion.

Even if that draconian action is not taken, the Dohertys could be restricted
from being directors of any other companies.

Under the Act, the main defence against prosecution is if no harm was caused
by the directors' failures, and if the breaches of the Act were not wilful.

That will all be considered in a report that liquidator Edward Walsh must
send to the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement, the watchdog for
company law offences.

First-time TD Ms Doherty has previously admitted taking loans totalling

37,360 from Enhanced Solutions Ltd when the size of the loans relative to
the business was also in contravention of the company law, but the debt has
been paid back and Ms Doherty has said she had informed the Director of
Corporate Enforcement of the breach herself.

Ms Doherty has said previously that Enhanced Solutions Ltd had ceased
trading in 2009. She didn't declare her directorship of the company in the
annual declaration of TDs' interests after becoming a TD in the 2011 General
Election.

She later admitted her error and asked that her records be corrected.

Enhanced Solutions Ltd was struck off by the Companies Office in 2011 for not
filing its accounts, but was later reinstated on the register.

Ms Doherty did not return calls last night.

http://www.independent.ie/business/small-business/fine-gael-tds-firm-folds-
with-debts-of-280000-29021682.html
Pat Flanagan: Gardai acting
like a private police force
for Regina Doherty
Following the Jobstown false imprisonment scandal it now
appears the gardai are being used to stamp out Government
criticism

BY PAT FLANAGAN
7 JUL 2017

Fine Gael's Regina Doherty at Leinster House, Dublin

Ireland sure is a strange country where Islamic terrorists
can slip in and out of the country unnoticed yet a
woman who criticises a Government minister on Twitter
is stopped at an airport by gardai.
We are all familiar with Turkish dictator Recep Tayyip
Erdogan's attempts to shut down social media to prevent
criticism of his regime, but it now appears this is
happening here.

The strange case of academic and blogger Catherine

Kelly who writes for the Jude Collins blog gets
stranger and more sinister by the day and was raised in
the Dail by Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger yesterday.
Youd imagine the gardai would have enough on their
plate facing more than 20 separate investigations and
inquiries to even contemplate acting as a private police
force for a minister.

If this is all new to you its because this baffling case has
not yet appeared in what many now refer to as the
mainstream media.
But this alleged incident has been bubbling under this
past few weeks on social media which is as feared as
much by our own rulers as it is by Sultan Erdogan.
Gareth Chaney/Collins Agency
Fine Gael's Regina Doherty
It began with the detention of Tyrone-born academic
Catherine Kelly who claimed she was recently
approached by gardai when she arrived at Dublin
Airport.

After her identity was confirmed she was cautioned over

posts on social media and online articles about Social
Protection Minister Regina Doherty.
Apparently the issue related to her commenting on
Minister Dohertys alleged former business dealings
involving a company which folded with debts of
280,000.
Deputy Coppinger said the officers confirmed a
complaint had been made and she was cautioned not to
tweet about Minister Doherty.
She added: She was told to sign a statement. Her name
was obviously given to the gardai by the airline.
She was told to sign a statement or she wouldnt be
allowed to proceed to the gate.
If what is emerging is true we are heading back to the
days when Charlie Haughey was using the gardai to tap
journalists' phones who were writing articles critical of
the old crook.
In the Dail yesterday Ruth Coppinger told the house how
Catherine Kelly was stopped at the airport by plain
clothes gardai who asked if she uses social media and if
she had written an article about Regina Doherty.
This raises all sorts of scenarios because if the gardai
threatened to detain Ms Kelly without a warrant could
this not amount to false imprisonment or does this only
apply to water protesters.
Can you imagine the officers on the case going to their
superiors to obtain a warrant to arrest a woman who
allegedly wrote something of concern to a Government
minister?
Gareth Chaney Collins

Regina Doherty
Now that would really put us up there with Turkey.
Can you imagine the cops in any other country, outside
of Turkey and Russia, getting the passenger lists from
the airline to intercept a blogger for commenting on a
minister?
The irony is that in recent weeks it emerged that Jihadis
were travelling in and out of the country without being
detected.
Last Monday a spokesperson for Minister Doherty
confirmed to TheJournal.ie that a complaint had been
made to gardai regarding a political academic.
The spokesperson said: A complaint has been made to
the gardai, however it would be inappropriate to
comment as Garda inquiries (are ongoing) and a Garda
investigation is under way.
Any individual has the right to make a complaint to the
gardai should they believe that they are being subjected
to unlawful activity.
Sure they do Regina but this has nothing to do with
criminality.
The problem for Minister Doherty, and the gardai, is that
allegations like these are a civil matter and has nothing
to do with the police, unless of course you are using the
force for political purposes just like Sultan Erdogan and
Charlie Haughey.
If there is an alleged libel there is a legal remedy
available and dont I know all about it.
When there are such draconian penalties for newspapers
when they get it wrong, or cant fully prove they got it
right, is it surprising they are reluctant to take on the
rich and powerful.
In effect the media has been effectively gagged while
social media can still strike terror in those who would
like to keep their dirty linen hidden.
We can only hope that the Islamic terrorists who are
using Ireland as a base write something bad about
Regina before they travel overseas on their bombing
missions, thatll catch them for sure.
http://www.irishmirror.ie/news/news-opinion/pat-flanagan-gardai-acting-like-
10754157.amp

Fine Gaels Regina

Doherty SLAMS
accusations party is
conspiring with FF to
'muzzle' smaller
opponents
YAOIFE NIC ARDGHAIL
19:23, 25 JUN 2017
Leinster House

Green Party TD Catherine Martin today slammed proposals to

change the rules around talk time in the Dail

Fine Gaels Regina Doherty has slammed accusations of

her party conspiring with Fianna Fail to muzzle smaller
opponents in the Dail.
Green Party TD Catherine Martin today slammed
proposals to change the rules around talk time in the Dail.

She said: This is clearly a case of Fianna Fail and Fine

Gael conspiring to silence the smaller parties and to
muzzle the smaller parties.
Ms Martin suggested that the reason Fine Gael and
Fianna Fail want to have speaking times proportionate to
party sizes is because smaller parties like hers were
punching above their weight.
Appearing on RTEs The Week In Politics, she claimed:
We are not only holding government to account but we
are setting and leading the agenda.
From the Fine Gael corner, Social Protection Minister
Regina Doherty declared that the set speaking time was
undemocratic.
She said the Dail Reform Committee had previously
changed the rules around speaking times so that
independent TDs got a chance to have their say, but this
has had unintended consequences.
I represent a party of 50 TDs and we get exactly the
same speaking time in the Dail as a party of six TDs.
Thats not democracy... she said.
She added that under no circumstances was she trying
to reduce the speaking time of independent TDs like
Mattie McGrath or those in smaller parties.
Nobody is trying to reduce the speaking time that Mattie
has...or trying to block independed voices, radical voices,
whatever the other parties want to call themselves.
Ms Martin, however, blasted the move to change speaking
times in the Dail as a retrograde for democracy
I was not elected to speak for one and a half minutes on
Brexit, to speak for one and a half minutes on mental
health or education or whats happening with the Garda
Commissioner, so that is doing a disservice to the people
who elected us and its not respecting the people who
voted for a diverse Dail, she said.
Fianna Fail and Fine Gael need to accept that civil war
politics dominating the Dail is gone.
Fianna Fails Michael McGrath weighed in to back up Ms
Dohertys points, saying that each TD in a party had the
right to speak on behalf of their constituents.
Only Sinn Feins Carol Nolan was optimistic that a
compromise on Dail speaking time could be reached. She
suggested one way would be to extend debate time.
We feel that might be the way forward, so we would like
to get opinions from the other parties on that because its
an issue thats not going to go away, she said.
People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd has previously said
the proposals were a panicked reaction to the success of
left-wing Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.
http://www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/politics/fine-gaels-regina-doherty-
slams-10687446
When the beautifully brave folks behind the #JobstownNotGuilty campaign asked me to speak
at a rally last April neither they nor I had any idea what the fuck I was going to say.
Joan Burton was convinced she was going to win the case at the time so libel laws prevented
an accurate summation of her character. I pulled out a letter quickly thrown together in a blind
panic that morning which she was supposed to have written to Donald Trump. It was satirical.
And satire should be scathing. And uncomfortable. And some folks loved it. And some folks
fucking hated it. But the actual folks on trial had a gorgeous reaction to it.
The quality ain't the best but you can still hear everything; so, in honour of those six, and all
the magnificent people behind a campaign that has given hope to our entire nation, this is the
fucked-up speech.

Theres Quare and Sinister Things in

Dublin by Catherine Kelly
by Jude Collins on July 2, 2017

In her own words, Catherine Kelly details the events after being questioned about her Twitter
acount by Gardai during the week.
'I was asked if I use social media, which I confirmed. I was asked if I use Twitter, which I also
confirmed. I was shown a small notebook in which the words Sane Politico were written. I
was asked if I used the name Sane Politico, which I again confirmed. I was asked if I had
written an article about Minister Regina Doherty and that too was affirmed. This is the article
in question:
The not guilty verdict in the Jobstown water protest trial in Dublin has raised
various questions about political policing and the political use of law
enforcement for corrupt intent. It has exposed a police force whose sworn
testimony was so suspect that it prompted the judge to instruct the jury to
disregard it and unmasked politicians and their wellpaid advisors who will tell
very tall tales directly contradicting video evidence. What was confirmed
throughout the trial, and indeed in the aftermath with media attacks on the
power of social media, is that political power is being wielded through the
instruments of the state to suppress dissent and protest and to cause
widespread fear among the citizenry lest they raise their heads above the
parapet.

In view of these matters raised by the Jobstown show trial, I had my own
experience very recently with law enforcement and the political establishment.
Leaving Ireland on June 27, 2017 to return to New York, I was approached by
two men in plain clothes who presented themselves as officers from Pearse
Street Garda Station. They asked, Is your name Catherine Kelly? When I
confirmed my name they stated they needed to speak with me.

I was quickly shown one Garda badge though I did not have time to note any
identification number or name. One of the men did all the talking while the other
looked on.

I was asked if I use social media, which I confirmed. I was asked if I use Twitter,
which I also confirmed. I was shown a small notebook in which the words Sane
Politico were written. I was asked if I used the name Sane Politico, which I
again confirmed. I was asked if I had written an article about Minister Regina
Doherty and that too was affirmed. This is the article in
question: http://www.judecollins.com/2017/04/solve-problem-like-regina-
catherine-kelly/
I was then informed that a complaint had been made against me at Pearse
Street Garda Station. There was no information offered about who filed the
complaint. I was informed that I was being cautioned, and that I was not to
tweet Regina Doherty, or any material relevant to her again. I was informed She
does not like it. As the Regina Doherty and Sane Politico accounts have utilized
mutual blocks for at least two years, I explained how I cannot and do not tweet
Minister Doherty directly. This explanation was not understood by the man
posing the questions.

I then informed the interrogator that I am a Professor of Political Science at an

American University and that I teach about the use of social media in political
contexts. The man responded Sure half of these ones do not even understand
what social media is.
The man who questioned me then reintroduced a small notebook and I saw a
page of notes that I did not attempt to read. I was asked to sign the page of
notes at the bottom. I did as requested as I was informed I was required to do
so before I could proceed to my gate. I signed the page, Catherine Kelly. As I
had an urgent personal matter to attend to in New York, it seemed like the
wisest action to take.

In a country such as Ireland, where much of the media has become just another
branch of what can fairly be characterized as a corrupted government, the
power of social media cannot be overstated. I have used Twitter and other social
media outlets to challenge the powers that be on their activities to do the job
that a fair and balanced media would undertake if they were truly independent.

I have raised issues about Minster Regina Doherty frequently on social media.
The content of my commentary is based on material in the public domain or fair
comment based on that material.

http://www.judecollins.com/2017/07/theres-quare-sinister-things-dublin-
catherine-kelly/



Theres Quare and Sinister Things in
Dublin by Catherine Kelly
https://www.scribd.com/document/352742895/There-s-Quare-and-Sinister-
Things-in-Dublin-by-Catherine-Kelly
The not guilty verdict in the Jobstown water protest trial in Dublin has raised various questions about political policing
and the political use of law enforcement for corrupt intent. It has exposed a police force whose sworn testimony was so
suspect that it prompted the judge to instruct the jury to disregard it and unmasked politicians and their wellpaid
advisors who will tell very tall tales directly contradicting video evidence. What was confirmed throughout the trial, and
indeed in the aftermath with media attacks on the power of social media, is that political power is being wielded through
the instruments of the state to suppress dissent and protest and to cause widespread fear among the citizenry lest they
raise their heads above the parapet.
In view of these matters raised by the Jobstown show trial, I had my own experience very recently with law enforcement
and the political establishment. Leaving Ireland on June 27, 2017 to return to New York, I was approached by two men
in plain clothes who presented themselves as officers from Pearse Street Garda Station. They asked, Is your name
Catherine Kelly? When I confirmed my name they stated they needed to speak with me.
I was quickly shown one Garda badge though I did not have time to note any identification number or name. One of the
men did all the talking while the other looked on.
I was asked if I use social media, which I confirmed. I was asked if I use Twitter, which I also confirmed. I was shown a
small notebook in which the words Sane Politico were written. I was asked if I used the name Sane Politico, which
I again confirmed. I was asked if I had written an article about Minister Regina Doherty and that too was affirmed. This is
the article in question: http://www.judecollins.com/.../solve-problem-like-regina.../
I was then informed that a complaint had been made against me at Pearse Street Garda Station. There was no information
offered about who filed the complaint. I was informed that I was being cautioned, and that I was not to tweet Regina
Doherty, or any material relevant to her again. I was informed She does not like it. As the Regina Doherty and Sane
Politico accounts have utilized mutual blocks for at least two years, I explained how I cannot and do not tweet Minister
Doherty directly. This explanation was not understood by the man posing the questions.
I then informed the interrogator that I am a Professor of Political Science at an American University and that I teach
about the use of social media in political contexts. The man responded Sure half of these ones do not even understand
what social media is.
The man who questioned me then reintroduced a small notebook and I saw a page of notes that I did not attempt to
read. I was asked to sign the page of notes at the bottom. I did as requested as I was informed I was required to do so
before I could proceed to my gate. I signed the page, Catherine Kelly. As I had an urgent personal matter to attend to in
New York, it seemed like the wisest action to take.
In a country such as Ireland, where much of the media has become just another branch of what can fairly be characterized
as a corrupted government, the power of social media cannot be overstated. I have used Twitter and other social media
outlets to challenge the powers that be on their activities to do the job that a fair and balanced media would undertake if
they were truly independent.
I have raised issues about Minster Regina Doherty frequently on social media. The content of my commentary is based
on material in the public domain or fair comment based on that material.
http://www.judecollins.com/.../theres-quare-sinister.../
If this story about Catherine is true, its a gross double standard of her to complain about being silenced since
she herself supports the silencing of other people she disagrees with ( see screensave ), I say to Catherine
that free speech cuts both ways for people you agree with + people you disagree with .

She was supporting people who protested against a university paying a fascist speaker. No one was silenced
or denied free speech, no one was detained by the cops for their speech. You're comparing denying
someone a public platform to preach hate to threatening someone's liberty over a twitter post, get a clue.
They just can't get over the jury seen the tds & the Garda force lie thru there teeth it wasn't social media that done it but
them selves and there all frightened of been found out it's just to protect them selves not the people who elected them

News papers express opinions all the time many a person has been tried by media in Ireland . Corrupt media
law and government. I've absolutely no doubt that if it was a non jury trial all of the accused would have gone
to prison.
Maybe they want to do away with jury trials. After all the 15 year old was convicted on the same garda
evidence that was dismissed in the jury trial

A woman in transit through Dublin this week was cautioned by Garda in relation to tweeting/blogging about
an Irish govt minister's finances.
Her name is Catherine Kelly. She has dual citizenship of Ireland & the USA.
She is a Professor of Political Science at a U.S. university...
...she tweets as @sanepolitico.

On 27 June she was in transit through Dublin Airport & was approached by two men. One showed Garda ID.
Her identity was established & she was asked if she was @sanepolitico, which she confirmed...
She was instructed to make no further mention online of Regina Doherty, Minister for Social Protection.
She was told the Minister "did not like it" & that she should not post anything relating to the Minister again.
In order to continue on her way, she had to sign a document. She was not given a copy & does not know what it said.
She was required to sign "a page of notes" including her Twitter handle @sanepolitico. She could not go to her flight
until she did so.

She has taken legal advice & is exploring various possible courses of action here & in the U.S.

She has written a full account of the incident, which I will post a link to as soon as she makes it public.
Apparently she was not told she had broken any law, just that the Minister "didn't like it."

Catherine has tweeted on many occasions about Minister Doherty, mainly public record information about her finances
taken from newspapers
She has also questioned whether there is evidence for the Minister's frequent claims of "online death threats."
(Minister Doherty is one of a number of politicians who make such claims when discussing "online abuse" aka criticism.)

While this opinion piece is a kind of refreshing read for the IT the most scary part and perhaps part of the problem with
this country and many others like it is some of the sentiments in the comments of the actual article on the IT page....
These are the biggest problem of any change that needs to come about when I read them the first thing that came to mind
was the poem by Martin Niemller First they came ........ And to be honest they sound like they came from the Joan
Burton School of Entitlement so perhaps it shouldn't be so surprising .....
Joan Burton the Minister for social protection, A Leader of a party who's roots where based on democratic
rights, suddenly after a taste of power forgot about the people who elected her, tried to make a political stand
in the benefit of right wing politics which ended up biting her in the Ass, I just hope people see now what the
Labour party actually stand for in Ireland.


A cynical RTE reporter sat in his expensive car hating the dumb do-gooders that had lately hogged his headlines. The
streets were empty. Minister for Housing, Simon Coveney sat across from us. Frustration on both sides. Trying to break a
deadlock. We were Home Sweet Home and Coveney and his cohorts were the government.

We were in lengthy negotiations to secure basic rights for some of societys most vulnerable. They were complex and
difficult but Coveney reiterated the brilliantly bold statement that he would have every family out of emergency hotels by
July 1st 2017. He gave his word on it. He was staking his reputation on it. This was going to happen. This was irrefutable.
This was fact.

Our side of the long negotiating table was a motley crew. Brendan Ogle and Dave Gibney were the main negotiators.
Brilliant men both. Union leaders. Fighters. Then there was Jim Sheridan, the multiple Oscar nominated genius in fiction
and in life; Glen Hansard, the Oscar winning giant with a heart as big as his magnificent voice; the relentlessly brave
saints of The Irish Housing Network, Aisling Hedderman and Oisin Fagan; and Dean Scurry, the visionary working class
hero who started the whole damn thing. And me, the dumb fuck hack-whore whod never be normally let in the building.
On the governments side there were men and women who led us to believe they wanted to do the right thing. And we
believed them. We had to.

I wont speak for the others. They have their own tale to tell. Most of them much better than mine. Every one of them,
without exception, handled themselves beautifully. Erudite, passionate and humane, they put everything on the line. I
only opened my mouth three times. There were several recesses during the lengthy negotiations where wed break for
fifteen minutes to regroup. I hadnt spoken yet. Listening was more important. And watching. Lies arent just told with
the mouth.

We had reached another bullshit impasse and broke for the obligatory recess. Downstairs in our allocated room someone
asked if the room was bugged. We were told no. The collective decision was made that someone would have to shake up
the negotiations. Pull the pin on a grenade. The decision was made that it should be me. Nobody asked how it should be
done. It just had to be done. Effectively. But politely.

We went back upstairs and the mood in the room from the government folks was jovial. Confident. They had us on the
run. Everyone took their seats and the Minister looked at Brendan Ogle waiting for him to recommence. Brendan said
nothing. Best poker player I ever saw. The Minister raised his eyebrows behind those ill-fitting glasses of his and waited.
Simon? It was the first time hed heard my voice. And he didnt like it. Everybody in the room had shown respect to
the office by addressing him at all times as, Minister" and here was I calling him Simon.

He looked over at me. Him and the rest of his team. No attempt to hide their disdain. Coveney wiped his lower lip to hide
a tiny quiver and peered over his glasses. I didnt know what was going to come out of my mouth but I watched his eyes
to get a read of the man. In truth, all I saw was a kind of shallow vanity. Pointing to the large windows behind us, my
voice became low, almost shy, and I said, Everyone out there thinks youre a bunch of lying scumfuck bastards.

For a man accustomed to negotiations it was bizarre how the skin on Coveneys face blanched. How the purple blood
rushing behind the epidermis betrayed his entire facade. His disgust was palpable. Visceral. He wanted me dead. I didnt
blink. Fuck him. What can you give me to prove to those people youre not a fucking hustler?

Coveney had never been spoken to this way. Not by anybody. Particularly not by some piece of shit commoner off the
street. The rest of his staff were paralysed. Coveney looked to Brendan Ogle and stammered a demand for some kind of
decorum. But Brendan remained silent. The pin had been pulled. Coveney stared at me and spat the words out, Im no
hustler. I stared right back at him and quietly said, Prove it.

Today is July 1st 2017 and, more than six months after the occupation of Apollo House, homelessness is worse than any
time in recorded history. In a Machiavellian deal with his new boss - Leo Vardakar - two weeks before he was due to
deliver on his promise, Minister Simon Coveney dumped his Housing portfolio to become Minister For Foreign Affairs
and Trade with Responsibility for Brexit.

Children are being raised in emergency hotel rooms with their families. The hotel rules and regulations they have to abide
by would make convicted felons balk. These kids are not allowed go out to the grounds. Not allowed to enter and exit
through the front door. Not allowed eat in the restaurant. These children are ghosts. Walking through corridors in the
early morning. Permission given only because they have to go to school. Uniform on. Head down. Passing noisy business
types on their way to slice and dice some deal. Slice and dice some dream. Slice and dice some corpse. Masters of the
Universe. Too busy to see these children. Too important to do a double take. Too indifferent to give a damn. Everyone
understands the contract. The perfect division. Shame does that to you. Trains you how to be silent. Teaches you how to
become invisible. Prepares you for rage.

The second time I spoke was just after a break in negotiations. It wasnt intended to be provocative. If anything it was an
attempt to connect. We appeared to have made real progress. In between recesses, as everybody was taking their seats,
Coveney threw away a comment about having to get on the road. He wanted to kiss his kids goodnight before they went
to bed. Despite all the bullshit, I found that touching. Plus, Im a father of four. Empathy. What ages are your kids?
Thats all I said. Across the room. Open. Warm. No hustle. He looked at me. That same purple rising up his face. How
fucking dare I discuss his life. He stammered through an answer he hated having to give.

Turns out the Minister has three kids. Girls. They too have schoolbags on their backs. Uniform on. Head up. But there's
no need for silent bowing in their world. They dont live in an emergency hotel room. In fact, now that Daddy is Minister
for Foreign Affairs and Trade with Responsibility for Brexit these girls will be in many hotel rooms. Plush rooms in
plush cities with plush expense accounts. The folks theyll pass in hotel hallways will be Daddys mates. And those mates
won't be deaf, dumb and blind to these kids. Because these kids are ministers daughters. Theyre not the silent ghosts in
cheap emergency hotel corridors. The ungrateful ones with the chips on the shoulders. The ones with the lazy parents.
The future dole fraudsters. These might get up early but its usually because they have to get three busses to school. The
slovenly bastards probably sleep in class anyway. You know the type. Professional magpies. Scroungers. The cheats who
cheat us all.

The third time I spoke I gave the game away. I was effusive. Emotional. Needy. When I was seventeen I got my first
bedsit. I had been homeless. Lost. A ghost. Like those kids in the corridors. But when I closed that bedsit door behind me
those keys were more precious than it is possible to explain. During the negotiations I had become obsessed with the
symbolism of 'Own Key Accommodation.' True autonomy. I was stupidly nodding in agreement to anything to secure
Own Key Accommodation for the three new buildings that we had been promised. Thankfully Brendan Ogle and Dave
Gibney interceded and kept us on track. Brendan and Dave smelled a rat but I was willing to sell my soul for the thought
of those people feeling that same thing I had at seventeen. Own Key Accommodation. Coveney agreed to include it in the
document. I could have kissed him. Him and his face that turns purple. Him and his instinct to kiss his daughters
goodnight. Him and his, Im no hustler.

Brendan and Daves instinct was right. They fucked us. They fucked everyone. Worst of all they fucked the most
vulnerable. Thats the thing about being a Master of the Universe. Once you slice and dice one human being it gets easier.
Becomes a numbers game. Statistics. Few things dehumanize faster than numbers. One hundred homeless is a scary
figure. One thousand is terrifying. Seven thousand is just a number. Deal done. An entire subclass of people to use as a
weapon to threaten folks who cant pay the mortgage. The ultimate whipping boy. The homeless. Not even people any
more. No even numbers. Just, the homeless.

Simon Coveney is now the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade with Responsibility for Brexit. The same Simon
Coveney who attended the Bilderberg meetings. The same Simon Coveney whos willing to let countless children be
ghosts in their own lives. When it comes to slicing and dicing this country for Brexit who do you think this professional
hustler will listen to? The countless children he lets haunt hotel corridors or his beautiful Bilderberg buddies?
Today is July 1st, 2017. The lies are exposed. And nobody gives a fuck. Just like the lies told about Jobstown. There will
be no accountability. No media outcry. No consequence. These sociopaths lie to get what they want. And lie some more
to keep it. And to keep their fictions alive some people have to die. Some die slowly. Some fast. Some dont even see it
coming. Some deny its existence. But the one thing that connects us all is the fact that austerity is premeditated, cold-
blooded murder. And its champions are serial killers.

Kids in fancy hotel rooms dont die. Kids in emergency hotel rooms do. One day at a time. Unless we fight for their
future.

Wise words, no one will do youre work for you. so don't expect these good people too do it for you, only in numbers, can
change happen, and change can only happen, when we look in the mirror. because that's were the real problem lay's, with
ourselves. We shut up, and put up, from our so called ruling masters, they kick the self esteem, out of you, from the
moment you start school, they teach you too, obey. like an elephant when its a baby, you tie a heavy tractor tyre around
its leg, and no matter how hard it tries, it will never break free, so when that elephant grows up, you can tie it, too a twig.
and it wont even try, too break free. and thats how they do it. they tell you, dont try, dont try, we are the brains, we will
make sure, too keep you alive,for as long as we can use youre name as a bond, so we can get a loan in youre name. a wise
man once said, when running up a mountain. its the pebble in the shoe that stops you getting too the top. all you have too
do it take the pebbles out. one at a time. one thing i find with these politicians, is when they say something serious, laugh
youre head off at them there lying. and when they tell a joke, take it very serious. there telling the truth, you see them do
it with the put downs and jokes they say in the Dail.
Typical bullshit from a bullshit artist...
""I think it's important that we respect that outcome because it was a trial by jury and it's a jury
who spent nine weeks considering all the evidence.
"They made the decision they did.
"Just because somebody wasn't convicted of false imprisonment doesn't mean that their
behaviour, or the way the treated Joan Burton and Karen OConnell, was in any way
acceptable and I don't think it was acceptable," he said."
He couldn't even accept the result. He had to add a massive but at the end and we all know what that
means.
Here it comes. The start of the clampdown on social media.
Amazing how they never define exactly what they consider "hate speech".
I suppose under this new fascist censorship, once pages like ours and others start to
disappear, then you will know...
Will you miss us when we're gone?
this is a violation of right to speak....as it is google/Facebook are censoring articles that THEY deem unsuitable....and as
for Germany who imprison up to 2,000 people a year for just ASKING for information on the holocaust, one of these
was an 80 year old lady who just asked for information and was brought to court and given a prison sentence. ....these are
the stories the world and more importantly EU citizens never get to hear.
Solidarity Councillor Kieran Mahon hit back at the deliberate smear and fear campaign
orchestrated by the establishment with the goal of criminalising protest...
"We've had a sustained campaign by the media where the media has basically had a free run
in what it said about Jobstown, in what it said about Solidarity, what it said about the AAA,
Paul Murphy TD and the defendants."
He also told Newstalk Breakfast the State broadcaster RT, and the Dil, was used against
them.
"All you have to do is look at the media campaign that's been run over the last two and a half years
against the community in Jobstown and against the defendants themselves.
"If you look at it from the very off from the Saturday of the protest, the first reporting of that in
mainstream media by the State broadcaster RT was by RT's crime correspondent.
"Even that in itself show's a certain framing of an issue in a certain light".
"People were looking at the story as it was presented to them by the national media".
That kind of propaganda is deliberate and they are not going to stop. In fact it will ramp up because
they didn't get the result they wanted and the reason is Social Media...
They have a new target now.
The target will be you. Your Social Media will be under attack after this. I guarantee it...
Sinn Fein and Solidarity call for independent inquiry into
Jobstown trial

July 2nd 17

There are calls this evening for an independent inquiry into the
prosecution of the Jobstown Trial.
Sinn Fein Justice Spokesperson Deputy Jonathan OBrien
said the nature of the trial will raise serious questions for the
public.

The Cork North Central TD said it was blatantly obvious that

these very serious charges should never have been brought
forward by the DPP.
While we obviously recognise the independence of the
courts, the DPP, and the policing structures of the state, we
also recognise that there is now huge public outrage following
the vindication of the Jobstown protest.

We believe there is a need for an inquiry that would examine

how this trial came about and why these charges were
brought in the first instance.

The Solidarity Party has also suggested there was a

conspiracy to stitch up its members who were yesterday
acquitted of false imprisonment.
It denies that yesterdays acquittal was "a watershed moment"
- it says that would only have been true if the Jobstown Six
were convicted for their part in a protest.
The party claims that former Labour Party leader Joan Burton
- who did not make a criminal complaint - went straight to the
Phoenix Park Garda Station after the protest.
It also claims that in the days after the protest, Garda dropped
plans to go door-to-door in Jobstown seeking evidence.
The Department of Justice has yet to respond to the demands.
Earlier:
One of the men cleared in the Jobstown trial says he has no
faith in the judicial process.
Yesterday, a jury acquitted six people of falsely imprisoning
the former Tnaiste Joan Burton and her adviser Karen
OConnell at a water charge protest in Tallaght in November
2014.
Solidarity Councillor Kieran Mahon was asked if his acquittal
makes him trust the courts system.
He said: "I dont respect that process, how could you respect
that process?
"Look at the evidence, look at the contradictory evidence by
the guards, the video evidence. Look at the scandals the
Garda have been involved in.
"How could you put your faith in an organisation of that
nature?"
The trial at Dublins Circuit Criminal Court attracted huge
attention on social media with the hashtag #Jobstownnotguilty
in frequent use.
Asked about the use of social media during the trial, Councillor
Mahon replied: "I think as long as facts are reported correctly,
youre free to give opinion."
"Weve had a sustained campaign by the media where the
media has basically had a free run in what it said about
Jobstown, in what it said about Solidarity, what it said about
the AAA, Paul Murphy TD and the defendants."
He also told Newstalk Breakfast the State broadcaster RT,
and the Dil, was used against them.
"All you have to do is look at the media campaign thats been
run over the last two and a half years against the community
in Jobstown and against the defendants themselves.
"If you look at it from the very off from the Saturday of the
protest, the first reporting of that in mainstream media by the
State broadcaster RT was by RTs crime correspondent.
"Even that in itself shows a certain framing of an issue in a
certain light".
"People were looking at the story as it was presented to them
by the national media".
"A lot of people would have to ask the question: why does a
community come out and protest in that way?
"People were angry, people were annoyed - but generally over
the course of the protest, people expressed themselves in a
very, very disciplined way".
Asked how this was a defeat for the political establishment, as
claimed by some of Councillor Mahons colleagues, he said:
"All the information weve received about our charges has
been received through the State broadcaster".
"The other aspect of the political establishment... is the Dil -
the use of the Dil by TDs, and the use of national media by
TDs to criticise and frame the Jobstown protest in a certain
way".
http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/latest-sinn-fein-and-
solidarity-call-for-independent-inquiry-into-jobstown-trial-
795768.html

The truth is plain. Corruption, lies and collusion together with abuse of political clout are to blame.
This country is going to break very soon and god help them corrupt dictators when it does.
We have a police force that nobody has any confidence in which is hanging together by a thread.
We have the 2 main parties colluding between each other FF/FG and both corrupt and rotten to the core.
This can't last much longer something will give and it's not going to end well.
Jurors wouldn't have heard anything on social media that
wasn't said in court, says Murphy
Paul Murphy has defended his party's use of Twitter and
Facebook during the Jobstown trial.
It comes after Fine Gael's Josepha Madigan said she had
issues with some of the comments made online during the
trial.
She is bringing a bill to the Dil to try make it an offence to
comment on social media while criminal cases are ongoing.
However, the Solidarity TD said they did nothing wrong.
Mr Murphy said: "The jurors were also directed not to pay
attention to the media that's dealing with it, not to pay attention
to social media, not to do any research and we trust that we
have robust juries.

"The second thing is that if the jurors went online to look at

what we were saying about the trial, they wouldn't have heard
about anything that they didn't hear inside court."
Update 1.18pm: Labour Party leader Brendan Howlin has
said it was a mistake not to pursue public order offences
rather than false imprisonment charges in the case of the
Jobstown Six.
Solidarity TD Paul Murphy and five other men were all cleared
this week of falsely imprisoning the former Labour Party leader
Joan Burton during an anti-water-charge demonstration in
2014.
Speaking immediately after being cleared, Mr Murphy said
files sent by the garda to the Director of Public Prosecutions
in the case were "rubbish".

Joan Burton hit by water balloon in Jobstown Tallaght

Published on Nov 15, 2014

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzKz69VkYJE

>
Deputy Howlin says the party had no hand, act or part in the
prosecution.
When asked asked if the DPP made a mistake with charging
the men with false imprisonment, he said: I can say now,
honestly - yes.
I deliberately said nothing - from the beginning to the end of
this I stayed quiet on this, because I thought let judicial
process take its course.
But what happened was vile - the language used against two
women.
Fuck off you treacherous bollix your face in the Dal told your story
and your hopes. your former leader was untruthful in her evidence.
You and your corrupt gang are finished.

Earlier:
A Fine Gael TD is to table a bill to make contempt of court a
statutory offence in the wake of the Jobstown trial.
At the moment, contempt of court is a common law offence in
Ireland.
Dublin Rathdown TD Josepha Madigan - a qualified solicitor -
believes our laws need to be updated to cover the increased
use of social media.
In an interview with the Sunday Times, she said she believed
that some comments made by Solidarity TDs during the
Jobstown trial were "menacing".
On Thursday, jurors cleared TD Paul Murphy and five other
men of the false imprisonment of former Tnaiste Joan Burton
and her advisor during an anti water charge demonstration in
Jobstown in 2014.
Well, I found it very difficult during the Jobstown trial, and
indeed I would say the same if it was any trial, the fact that
there was a lot of activity on social media, on Facebook and
on Twitter, about the trial itself, said Ms Madigan.
The media, the main media, are not allowed make comments
like that during criminal trials, and I dont think it should be
allowed on social media either.
Ms Madigan admitted we do not know if social media had an
influence on the jurors, but she said we needed legislation to
protect juries from outside influences.
The TD is now going to attempt and bring a Bill to the Dil
making it a statutory offence to comment on ongoing criminal
cases.

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/latest-jurors-wouldnt-have-heard-
anything-on-social-media-that-wasnt-said-in-court-says-murphy-795979.html
I believe the jury followed the judges instructions diligently and with honour
including Garda evidence contradicted by video evidence(FG&L had
nothing to say about this, I find this worrying,is this acceptable?!)
These men found innocent by a jury of the most serious charges of false
imprisonment (with potential maximum life sentence) that protesters been
charged with (&silence from FG,FF,L on the severity of a charges)and yet
again the trial continues it seems.I must say I find this very disturbing and
worrying.
The ordinary people and families and communities in this country won't be
silenced when they faced austerity for several years with devastating
impacts on their lives and again and again more and more pushed on their
shoulders regardless of affordability or consequences.
Also people want a referendum to ensure our water services and
infrastructure stays in public ownership but Joan Collins bill re same has
been stalled for 7/8 months as Coveney hasn't got AG advice so bill can be
progressed yet could get immediate AG advice when FG lost votes on
Committee on Future Funding of Water!
Worryingly the next River Basin Management Plan is due to be furnished to
EU by end of year and no Referendum before that and where is other
legislation also re water services.Plus IW should be put under jurisdiction of
PAC &C&AG as it's funded by public money plus 11B of state assets
transferred to it.Why was this not done??
The voters who gave a majority democratic mandate to the Dail last year
that wasnt honoured haven't gone away.....the people from all walks of life
who marched in massive marches haven't gone away!
The only thing that's ''menacing'' Mrs Blueshirt is Murdoch giving you
and your cronies a platform to intimidate future juries.
What was 'VILE' was bring those charges in the first place, what was 'VILE'
the way some of the Guards lied under oath, what was 'VILE' the biased
commentary by the mainstream media, what is 'VILE' is the push to censor
the Social Media, ask the CHINESE about that.... what is 'VILE', is your
support for a member of your Party calling the people 'Dregs' - and is it
'VILE' for Joan to want to put her video on Social Media?

No Gene Kerrigan in the Sunday Independent this week, instead his usual spot was given to Eilis
O'Hanlon, a right wing commentator with a massive chip on her shoulder over the Jobstown not guilty
verdict. I have a feeling that Kerrigan's article was censored by the Denis O'Brien controlled Blueshirt
organ and that O'Hanlon was rolled out to spew as much vitriol and hatred against Jobstown as could
be squeezed into a half page of the broadsheet. From her "soapbox" O'Hanlon articulates the
disappointment and the shock and anger of the establishment at this verdict. She attacks Left politicians
and she attacks the Jobstown area in a raving, ranting piece that seemed to have been written when she
had a few glasses of wine too many. Of course Eilis's rose-tinted glasses prevent her from seeing
anything but the martyr Saint Joan, but about the lies and perjury of scores and scores of garda - not a
word. The early morning raids on family homes by armed police, the use of handcuffs, the relentless
campaign of vilification by right wing media, led by Denis O'Brien's monopoly, the reason why Burton
was hated and despised because of her brutal austerity measures .... not a word from O'Hanlon on her
Denis O'Brien soapbox.
The media in Ireland is rotten to the core and the stench is most putrid around O'Brien's print media.
But social media has allowed more and more people to read and share the truth. And the political
establishment and their wealthy backers do not like it. That is why Blueshirt TD Josepha Madigan is
talking about introducing a bill in the Dil to censor social media. This must be resisted at all costs

Wouldn't you just hate been Ellis O Hanlon what a bitter twisted human being all that hatred inside of her

Should social media posts be

held in contempt of court?
Theres a debate over the role social media plays in court cases after
the Jobstown trial verdict last week.
July 2, 17

DO YOU THINK Ireland should legislate to include social

media posts that comment on ongoing trials in contempt of
court?
Fine Gael TD Josepha Madigan is to table a bill to make
contempt of court a statutory offence, and believes
commenting ongoing trials on social media sites like Twitter
and Facebook should be made illegal (as it is for media
organisations).

In an interview with The Sunday Times, Madigan said that

she believed the law needed to be updated after the
Jobstown Not Guilty social media campaign.
But there are concerns about how this would be policed, and
that it could infringe on freedom of speech rights if it was
over-enforced.
So. do you think social media posts should be held in
contempt of court?

Poll Results:
http://www.thejournal.ie/donald-trump-tweet-2-3474752-Jul2017/
Lying gardai should be held in contempt of court
From the very start of this Jobstown court case with a 15 year lad along with
the others accused,Getting a visit from the Gardai at 7am stunk of political
interference. Were these people highly strung and dangerous to the public
that the guards arrived in their numbers? What about the people who drove
this country off the cliff when it came to them being questioned they made a
time to be interviewed at the station. This seems like another politician
wanting to cut out social media like that unelectable one from Labour.

Two trials on the same incident using the same evidence.

The one without a jury returns a guilty verdict, the one with a jury returns a
no9t guilty verdict.

The difference? Once the decision making moved outside the circle of the
DPP, judiciary and Gardai to ordinary citizens, the stitch up was rightly
rejected.
thus could be the start of a slippery slope and I would not be in favour of
gagging people.
Established Ireland running scared after what they have got away with over
the decades it is about time.
FG, can you run a poll on whether or not perjury charges should be brought
against the officers of the law whose evidence the judge directed the jury to
disregard
They all need to get over themselves .. Not guilty was the verdict by jury
whats social media to do with it
Instead of inventing new unworkable laws, could we see some enforcement
of the ones that currently exist? Corruption laws would be a good place to
start, Whats in it for me and a multi million euro report called Moriarty.
Then Perjury, theres a good law, any idea when the last time someone was
convicted under that?
First the Garda wanted to make it a criminal offence if someone filmed them
during the course of their duties
This is a backdoor to get that restrict social media in a court case and
everything will fall into that bracket
This is unacceptable censorship by a fascist right wing neo-liberal
government which is antisocial and undemocratic and unnecessary as there
are already adequate contempt of court laws in existence. The purpose of
this members bill is to demean and undermine the jury who were
independent of any outside influence and to accuse them otherwise is
insulting and just sour grapes as the governments contrived stitch up failed
and was based on a tissue of lies. The only contempt of court in this case
were the trumped up charges and conspiracy to falsify evidence by the
Gardai, government and the office of the DPP. I await a full investigation and
prosecution of those in the gardai who lied in court.
Stupid poll . To narrow a question . Depends on what the post says or
inferred as to if it is in contempt or not
curtailing freedom of speech is never, ever acceptable.
Fg FF, labour, are trying to close down free speech.they see people
withdrawing support for their partys as SM reveals their corruption etc.MSM
does not hold them to account.
Crikey I didnt know there were that many Liebourites left!
All out for the poll on Noddys orders,

Lying gardai should be held in contempt of court.

Some question of previous guilty verdicts based on Corrupt Lying Garda

misleading evidence provided by the same officers apparently.

Filthy little state. Social media has nothing got to do with it.
We're being watched .
By Retreated politicians Social Media Dreg
defendants were denied presumption of innocence by state & media. They still are now, even after being
cleared!
Newly elected TD Josepha
Madigan released an erotic
novel back in 2011 -
following in Alan Shatter's
footsteps
Fine Gael's Josepha Madigan has written a raunchy erotic novel
BYKATHY ARMSTRONG
14:03, 28 FEB 2016

Josepha Madigan
Newly-elected Josepha Madigan has penned a raunchy novel.

Josepha followed in the footsteps of her fellow Fine Gael politician Alan
Shatter by writing an erotic book.
Negligent Behaviour was released in 2011 and tells the tale of Helene
McBain, a Dublin-based solicitor in Celtic Tiger Ireland.
The novel features Helenas sexual exploits with the rich and powerful.

The fictional novel also follows the seedy and immoral dealing of Dublins elite
at that time.

Josephas main passion these days is politics and she beat former Justice
Minister Shatter to clinch a seat in the Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown constituency
on Saturday.

Josepha - who formerly worked as a solicitor- landed

herself in hot water in 2014 when she branded traveller
accommodation in south Dublin a waste of valuable
resources.
She was today forced to defend her position once again.
Josepha said: Of course every sector of society must be
accommodated and we must look after all of our
constituents, particularly the most vulnerable.
The argument that I had is that we do not necessarily
have to use the most expensive site in the country in order
to do that.
Negligent Behaviour (Photo: Amazon)
It was purely an economic issue..
She also said: I dont intend to elaborate any further on
it...
I cant look into the minds f the electorate, i think that the
electorate knows that I will work hard, that I have been a
committed counsellor and local representative over the
last year-and-a-half.
I intend to work hard as a TD and Im conscientious.
Speaking on RTE Radio 1 with Claire Byrne, Josepha claimed that the
controversy never cropped up while she was canvassing over the last few
weeks.
She said: no, it never came up, it was hardly mentioned at all.

The leaflet was from May 2014, it was before the local elections, it wasnt the
leaflet that I sent out in the general election, so it really wasnt relevant.

Josepha also addressed comparisons between herself and Iron

Lady Margaret Thatcher.
She said: I think the Iron Lady characterisation is probably in relation to me
as a person, in that I will be robust in championing issues for my constituents
going into the future.

If I can help somebody improve their issue or help the country then I will do
that.

So I will take that as a compliment.

Speaking after his defeat, Shatter blamed Fine Gael for him not winning a
seat.
He said: Unfortunately there was some interference in the electoral process
by Fine Gael headquarters.

"I objected to when it took place. To a minimal extent I attempted to

counteract it, but I substantially didnt.
Catherine Kelly, The #ReginaCops And
The Rot At The Heart Of The
#PotatoRepublic
US Academic claiming false imprisonment.

July 6th 17

Catherine Kelly, the tweeter and occasional blogger at the centre of the
#ReginaCops scandal has written to Charlie Flanagan, Minister for Justice
and Equality, alleging false imprisonment in relation to her recent detention at
Dublin Airport. Catherine, a Professor of Political Science at a US university,
was in transit through Dublin Airport on June 27th when she was stopped by
two men who identified themselves as Gardai and questioned her about her
use of social media. They enquired whether she used the name
@sanepolitico on Twitter and whether she was the author of a blog post about
Minister for Social Welfare, Regina Doherty, both of which she confirmed.

She was advised that she was being cautioned and that she was to make no
further reference to Minister Doherty on social media. A page of handwritten
notes was produced and she was told shed have to sign this before
proceeding to her gate. She signed it, as she had very urgent business to attend
to in New York. Her letter to Minister Flanagan advises him that her legal advice
is that this constitutes a false detention and may amount to false imprisonment
under Section 15 of the Non-Fatal Offences Against The Person Act of 1997.
This section refers to taking or detaining a person or otherwise restricting their
personal liberty, without their consent and Section 15 (2) goes on to state
that "a person acts without the consent of another if the person obtains the
others consent by force or threat of force, or by deception causing the other
to believe that he or she is under legal compulsion to consent.

Catherine is quite clear that she was told that she was being cautioned, but there are
requirements to be met before a caution can be administered under the Adult Cautioning
Scheme. These are: there must be prima facie evidence of the offenders guilt; the
offender must admit the offence; the offender must understand the significance of a
caution and the offender must give an informed consent to being cautioned. None of these
appear to have been met in Catherines case. No particular offence was specified. She
was asked to confirm her Twitter name, @sanepolitico, but no issue was raised with her
tweets and no indication given of what offence she was alleged to have committed. The
only evidence cited was a blog post regarding Minister Dohertys financial affairs, based
on information already in the public domain. Catherine did not admit any offence, did not
understand the significance of a caution and certainly didnt give informed consent or
have any opportunity to seek advice on the matter.

If there were grounds for a caution and if the Gardai had sufficient intelligence on her
movements to intercept her at the airport, surely they could have done so when she was
entering the country, when she would have had the chance to get legal advice and
consider giving the required "informed consent? The decision to delay someone under
time pressure to catch a flight seems almost calculated to undermine the giving of
meaningful consent. When the offender has admitted the offence and agreed to be
cautioned (remember neither of those happened in this case) they are asked to sign
Section E of a form thats supposed to have been filled out in advance by the Garda.
Catherine was not asked to sign any form, but the fact that she was pushed, under threat
of missing her flight, to provide a copy of her signature on what seems to have been a
page in an ordinary Garda notebook seems frankly sinister.

Its worth taking a look also at the procedure around the issuing of a caution. A caution is
administered by the District Officer or an Inspector acting on behalf of the District
Officer. A caution is normally (other than in an exceptional situation) administered in
a Garda Station, having been explained to the offender by the member in charge of the
station. Most importantly an Adult Caution is only an available option for a short list of
offences under specified Acts. These are:

Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act, 1994 (public drunkenness, disorderly conduct,
etc)
Criminal Justice (Theft and Fraud Offences) Act, 2001 (theft under the value of 1000,
making off without paying, handling stolen goods)
Intoxicating Liquor Act (offences by a drunken person)
Non-Fatal Offences Against The Person Act 1997 (Section 2 assaults)
Criminal Damage Act, 1991 (damage to property under 1000 or threat to damage
property)
Dublin Police Act, 1842 (nuisances in public thoroughfares, in Dublin only)
 Intoxicating Liquor Act, 1927 (on licensed premises after hours)
Licensing Act, 1872 (public drunkenness again)
Summary Jurisdiction (Ireland) Amendment Act, 1871 (offensive or riotous conduct in
a theatre or place of public amusement.)
Thats it. Thats the entire list. Im no lawyer, but I cant for the life of me see how any of
those could be broken on Twitter or in a blog post. Whatever occurred at Dublin Airport,
it was not a properly administered Adult Caution. It smacks rather of an attempt to
deceive a person under duress (as everybody travelling through airports in these high-
security days is under duress) that something legally momentous is happening to her
when really it is not. Shes supposed to believe that if she doesnt do as shes told, she
will suffer consequences - miss her flight, forfeit the cost of her flight, have to reschedule
her engagements in New York, perhaps even be arrested and face protracted questioning
in relation to an unknown offence. She is supposed to be frightened. She is supposed to,
in the parlance of social media, STFU.

It looks a lot like an act of coercion and intimidation. The intention seems to be to
persuade somebody that if she continues to comment on the public affairs of her country,
she will face criminal charges when something - a family illness perhaps - forces her to
return. It seems intended to silence her, to deprive her of her constitutional right to free
expression - and no reason is offered for this action, other than a Ministers displeasure at
her words. It really does look a lot like false imprisonment, like detaining a person by
deception and without their consent.

Its the action of a corrupt #PotatoRepublic, where the police force misappropriate public
money, fabricate roadside breath tests and use the journalists who should be keeping them
accountable to smear a whistleblowing Garda colleague as a paedophile. Tribunals and
enquiries are ordered by the dozen, but nothing really changes People retire in their own
time on their full pensions and the show goes onAnd now our police force (that should
be a police service, for the protection of all) is to be co-opted as private muscle to
prevent, without legal authority, a citizen going about her business, in order to tell her
that a Minister doesnt like her opinions and she should keep them to herself in future?
We have to draw the line somewhere folks, and I suggest it is here! (In truth I think we
passed it long ago, but better late than never)

One of the most positive moments in this story up to now has been the intervention of
Seamus Dooley of the National Union of Journalists, who has called on the Garda
Commissioner to explain why Catherine Kellys freedom was interfered with in this way.
A country that interrogates people at airports for holding inconvenient opinions will never
be a good country for journalism. This is already not a good country for journalism - a
near monopoly ownership of the media and excessive cosiness with the parties of
government has seen to that and, day after day, good journalists who ask all the right
questions of all the right people have their stories spiked or mangled out of all
recognition. MSM (mainstream media) has become almost a dirty word on social
media, seen as a corrupt purveyor of Establishment lies - and all too often this is true. The
journalists who do not ask the tough questions are the ones that rise to the top of the pile
and the ones who risk it all for a tough story struggle throughout their careers or give up
the fight. But they are out there. And by challenging this horrible act, Seamus Dooley is
defending them.

We need decent journalists more than ever and they are out there, resisting political
interference, resisting the push to create clickbait, attempting over and over again over
long careers to get attention for the stories that need to be told, the stories that set them on
fire - and getting knocked back over and over again. They do not hate social media, most
of them use it. Its where their stories come from these days, where they meet their
sources, hear whats going on. The good ones try to get these stories more traction, apply
the fact-checking that social media lacks and bring those stories to a wider audience.
Where do they go when their stories fail to get through the gatekeepers of their vested
interest proprietors? Often they drip them back out to social media again. Often its all
they can do.

Good journalists do not hate social media. Journalism cant and wont survive without
people who ask questions and people who try to alert the public to abuses of power.
Seamus Dooley does us all a great service when he speaks out for enquiring minds,
whether those minds are paid for enquiring or not. Good journalists will be grateful to
him for doing this, but the ones who have the Garda Commissioner on speed dial for
conversations about which whistleblowers should be smeared next will be out for his
blood. Its a brave move and one he should be thanked and supported for.

Catherines interrogation at the airport did not come out of nowhere. A smear campaign
has been rolling against Catherine and a number of others (including myself, as it
happens) for several years now. This smear campaign is about to step up a gear. More
than one false story was planted in mainstream media last year to be spread around now -
an insurance policy against the day when the bigger story might threaten to be heard. One
of these is being circulated right now to discredit Catherine. Its based on a single tweet, a
long time ago, taken out of context and twisted to mean something that it just did not
mean. Another story, a fortnight later in the same outlet, suggested obliquely that I had
been involved in the harassment of a person I had never even heard of. This is what we
are up against - what a lot of people are up against - and its important to see through the
smokescreen. What is the truth they are trying to distract you from now?

The truth is there was no legal authority to stop Catherine at the airport. The truth is that
the only matter raised with her was her posts on social media about a government
minister. The truth is that the only evidence cited was a blog post containing matters
already in the public domain which the minister doesnt like people talking about. The
truth is free speech is a right guaranteed in the constitution. It is not a commodity to be
parceled out only to people whose views you agree with or support. To attempt to deprive
somebody of free speech on the basis that they (or their partner, or their family members
or their friends) are members of a particular political party is McCarthyism. Everybody
should be able to comment on public affairs without fear. Free speech is far too important
a thing to deprive people of because you dont like their politics, or even because they
may have said one or two things in conversation with friends that you might consider
inappropriate or tasteless. They are still entitled to comment on the people elected to
govern us and if that right falls, you might as well lock yourself up right now and throw
away the key.

(Disclosure: I know Catherine Kelly a little. I have met her once in real life and I liked
her. I have interacted with her often on Twitter and frequently disagreed with her, often
quite vigorously - but Ive never wanted her, or any of the many people Ive disagreed
with on Twitter, silenced in the name of the State.) Catherine Kelly was falsely
imprisoned, albeit briefly, at Dublin Airport, charged with no crime other than the
invented one of saying things a government minister didnt like. I swear I will stand
beside anybody that this ever happens to and Im calling on all freedom lovers to do the
same. Catherine has written to the Minister for Justice to raise the matter. Hes your
Minister for the Justice and Equality thats supposed to belong equally to us all.
Maybe you should let him know what you think? The Minister charged with
making Ireland a fair, safe and inclusive place to live and work is Charlie
Flanagan. His email address is charles.flanagan@oireachtas.ie

PS As I was writing this piece, Ruth Coppinger raised Catherines detention in the Dail.
She deserves great credit for doing so.

http://izzykamikaze.tumblr.com/post/162671305591/catherine-kelly-the-
reginacops-and-the-rot-at

Ministers criticised after

blogger cautioned by garda
The blogger wrote a post relating to Regina Doherty
N6 Jul 2017
WS

Ministers have been accused of using garda as their personal police.

The issue was raised in the Dil this afternoon.
It follows the detention of a blogger while travelling through Dublin Airport last
week.
The blogger was cautioned over a post written in April this year.
It was questioning the personal business dealings of the Social Protection
Minister, Regina Doherty.
A spokesperson for the minister confirmed earlier this week that a garda
complaint had been made, and could not comment further.
Ruth Coppinger of Solidarity says the role of the garda is sinister.
"In the blog she merely raised issues with the minister's dealings in a bankrupt
company in 2009.
"Is it now Government policy to attack anybody who cr


Ministers have been accused of using garda as their personal police.
The issue was raised in the Dil this afternoon.
It follows the detention of a blogger while travelling through Dublin Airport last week.
http://www.newstalk.com/Ministers-criticised-after-blogger-cautioned-by-
garda

More censorship': Row in Dil as TD asks

why garda spoke to professor over
Regina Doherty blog
TD asks why American professor was stopped at Dublin
Airport over tweets about politician
Jul 6, 2017
TheJournal.ie is an Irish news website that invites its users to shape the news
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_duan7g38wY
THE CASE OF a US-based academic, who criticised Fine
Gael Social Protection Minister Regina Doherty and her
business dealings in a blog and was subsequently stopped by
garda at Dublin Airport, was raised in the Dil today.
Writing on the Jude Collins blog, Tyrone-born academic
Catherine Kelly claimed she was recently approached by
garda from Pearse Street Garda Station who, upon
confirming her identity and her Twitter handle, cautioned
her about her social media posts and online articles which
referenced Regina Doherty.
On Monday, a spokesperson for Doherty confirmed to
TheJournal.ie that a complaint was made to garda
regarding a political academic.
A complaint has been made to the garda, however it would
be inappropriate to comment as Garda inquiries (are
ongoing) and a Garda investigation is underway, the
spokesperson told TheJournal.ie.
Any individual has the right to make a complaint to the
garda should they believe that they are being subjected to
unlawful activity.
The article which is understood to have caused the
complaint was published online earlier this year, and dealt
with the liquidation of a company run by Doherty and her
husband in 2013.

Raising the issue under the Promised Legislation time slot,

Solidarity-PBP TD Ruth Coppinger queried when the
Passenger Name Record Bill will be introduced to the Dil.
Sinister and chilling experience
She then asked would the Bill take up the issue of the
sinister and chilling experience of Kelly at the airport last
week.
Catherine Kelly who was stopped at the airport by plain
clothes garda, asked for her name, if she used social media
and if she had written an article about Minister Regina
Doherty, that a complaint had been made and she was
cautioned not to tweet minister Doherty or any material
relevant to her, said Coppinger.
She was told to sign a statement. Her name was obviously
given to the garda by the airline. She was told to sign a
statement or she wouldnt be allowed to proceed to the
gate, she continued.

She pointed out that Kelly had merely raised issues about
the ministers company dealings.
Liquidation
The liquidation of the ministers company, which bought
and sold surplus IT components, in January 2013 saw the
company fold with debts outstanding of 280,000.
The company ceased trading at the height of the downturn
in 2009.
http://www.judecollins.com/2017/07/theres-quare-
sinister-things-dublin-catherine-kelly/

In May 2016, Doherty described the circumstances

surrounding the liquidation in an interview with RT, and
reiterated that she hadnt broken the law.
As Coppinger continued, she was interrupted by the Leas
Ceann Comhairle, Pat the Cope Gallagher, who said the
issue should not be raised during Promised Legislation
speaking time.
More censorship, shouted, Solidarity-PBP TD Mick Barry.
Withdraw that, that this is censorship, replied the Leas
Ceann Comhairle, who said he was just complying with and
implementing the regulations of the House.
Is it now government policy to attack anybody that
criticises anyone in the government on social media in this
very sinister way in a very legitimate article that was not
abusive, asked Coppinger.
Education Minister Richard Bruton, who was standing in for
the Tnaiste Frances Fitzgerald for Leaders Questions
today, did not address the matter.
He told Coppinger that preparatory work is currently being
done on the Passenger Name Record Bill in the Department
of Justice. He then resumed his seat.
http://www.thejournal.ie/regina-doherty-garda-
complaint-blogger-3482139-
Jul2017/?utm_source=shortlink

"I haven't broken the law":

Government Chief Whip
defends liquidation of
company
Regina Doherty defended the closure of her company today.
May 21st 2016,

GOVERNMENT CHIEF WHIP Regina Doherty has

defended her decision to liquidate a company in 2013.
Doherty was a director along with her husband Declan
of Enhanced Solutions Ltd, a company which bought and
sold IT components until it went to the wall in 2009.
However, it was not liquidated until 2013.
The liquidators report shows the company owed 59,000 to
Revenue and 50,000 to AIB.
The company had lost over 205,000 according to its most
recent accounts. Separately, a judgement was awarded
against the company by UK firm Eurosimm for over
10,000.
Before Februarys election, Doherty told The Peoples
Debate with Vincent Browne that her debts had been paid.
However, her promotion to Chief Whip led some to question
whether there were debts left outstanding.
Last week, Doherty declined to speak to the Mail on Sunday,
but today penned a piece in the Irish Independent defending
her actions.
She also took to RTs Saturday with Claire Byrne to give
her side of the story.
Failure
Doherty said that she has been reminded of how much of a
failure she is since the liquidation ended in 2013.
She said she and her husband had taken out a loan to pay
back AIB.
That will probably take me the rest of my life to pay back
and thats cool because Im fortunate enough to be in a
position to do that and some other debts were written off
during the liquidation.
The Revenue debt was part of that written off, some being
written off against VAT owed to the company.
She says that she has been reminded of the liquidation daily
by people who think theyre smart.
People think theyre smart reminding me of it, but I lived
with it.
She said that she had ignored the social media commentary
on the liquidation until her appointment as Chief Whip two
weeks ago.
Then, she said, the interactions went through the roof,
leading the story to take on a new life.
I cant just ignore people saying things about me that are
not true.
I cant have an ambiguity for people and there cant be
many left, Im sure who do actually like me.
I havent hidden anything, Im not happy or proud about
what happened.
Im not a bad person, I had a tough time in business and Ive
learned more from that than everything else.
She said that some of the criticism was politically motivated,
but added that there was no political party conspiring to
organise it.
She said that the Companies Registration Office had deemed
an auditors concerns insignificant.
I havent broken the law.
Yeah, I did liquidate a company and the company did owe
people money, but we didnt get to that space by choice.
Food on the table
She said that once she and her husband liquidated the
company, they were not entitled to social welfare.
The only reason there was food put on our table was
because my parents and Declans parents got us through.
If I had the money, the company would have been liquidated
in 2009, but I didnt have the money. We didnt have the
money to go to Lidl on a Friday evening.
The company was liquidated two years after Doherty was
elected as a TD for Meath East.
http://www.thejournal.ie/regina-doherty-defends-
liquidation-of-company-2781806-May2016/
New Minister for Social
Protection will continue
crusade on welfare fraud
Regina Doherty was speaking to Newstalk Breakfast about
her plans for the new position
15 Jun 2017

The newly appointed Minister for Social Protection and

Employment said she will be following through with
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar's mission to clamp down on
welfare cheats.
Speaking to Newstalk Breakfast, Minister Regina Doherty said
"anybody who's claiming money that they shouldn't be
claiming that would deny other people who should be claiming
the money is obviously going to be a priority".
"I think it's interesting that every single TD yesterday from the
left stood up and challenged the Taoiseach over that [welfare
fraud] campaign when it's defrauding money from the state,"
she said.
"There's nearly an acceptance by the left that if it's vulnerable
people that are doing it we should turn a blind eye to it."
She added that she was "very excited" the new role, saying
her main aim was ensuring that money is made available to
those who need it most.
"The Taoiseach said to me that I need to make sure that any
budgets that we have in the future are progressive," she said.
Yesterday, Varadkar announced his Cabinet in full, which
meet today for the first time.

Source: Department of the Taoiseach

http://www.newstalk.com/Ministers-criticised-after-blogger-cautioned-by-
garda









Who's who? Details of Leo
Varadkar's Cabinet revealed
He has announced some high-profile moves
NEWS

The new Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has spent the evening
mulling over who will go where in his Cabinet.
Mr Varadkar took office following a Dil vote and ceremony
with President Michael D Higgins earlier.
As the youngest ever Taosieach, as well as the first openly
gay one, the world has been taking notice.
As for his Cabinet, Seamus Woulfe will become the new
Attorney-General after Mire Whelan was appointed to the
Court of Appeal.
View image on Twitter
Follow

The Bar of Ireland @TheBarofIreland

Congratulations to Seamus Woulfe SC, Vice Chairman,
Council of The Bar of Ireland on his appointment as
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5:10 PM - 14 Jun 2017
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Charlie Flanagan moves to Justice, and Simon Coveney goes
to Foreign Affairs.
Mr Coveney will also have special responsibility for Brexit.
Paschal Donohoe will be the new Finance Minister - and will
double as Public Expenditure Minister - while Regina Doherty
will be Social Protection Minister.
Eoghan Murphy is to be appointed Housing Minister, while
Denis Naughten retains his Communications ministry.
Frances Fitzgerald is keeping her role as Tnaiste - but will be
moved to an Enterprise and Innovation portfolio.
Mary Mitchell O'Connor becomes a Minister of State with
special responsibility for Higher Education.
The Agriculture portfolio stays with Michael Creed.
Michael Ring is given a new role as Minister for Community
and Rural Affairs, which is being split off from the Department
of Arts led by Heather Humphreys.
While Shane Ross, Katherine Zappone and Richard Bruton
stay in the Departments of Transport, Children and Education
respectively.
Joe McHugh becomes Government Chief Whip.
Announcing his appointments, Mr Varadkar told the Dil his
was a Government that was prepared for a new generation.
Source: Department of the Taoiseach
http://www.newstalk.com/Revealed:-Details-of-Leo-Varadkars-Cabinet














Mire Whelan appointment

to top court job labelled
cronyism
The Government announced the appointment on Tuesday
14 Jun 2017
Jack Quann

NEWS

Mire
The Attorney-General Mire Whelan has been appointed
to the Court of Appeal, the Government has announced.
This vacancy arose after the retirement of Mr Justice Garrett
Sheehan in March 2017.
Ms Whelan is stepping down as Attorney-General on
Wednesday.
The Government says it has taken the necessary steps to
formally advise President Michael D Higgins of the
nomination.
However, questions have been raised about the manner of the
appointment.
It has been confirmed that Ms Whelan did not apply for the job
- but as there were no applicants for the job, the Government
could pick whoever it wanted.
Roisin Shortall of the Social Democrats says the appointment
smacks of hypocrisy and cronyism.
She said: This naked political appointment is the height of
hypocrisy from a Government that is supposed to be
introducing a law to take politics out of the appointment of
judges.
It is as far as you can possibly get from the Governments
pledge to make judicial appointments transparent, fair and
credible.
It makes a mockery of talk of reform and shows that the
government does not believe in its own hype when it comes to
ridding cronyism from the judicial system.
While Fianna Fil leader Michael Martin used his speech in
the Dil Wednesday to criticise the move, saying: Yesterdays
appointment to the Court of Appeal represents the first time in
nearly a quarter of a century that an appointment such as this
was made in this manner.
It directly by-passed established procedures and the excuse
that there were no qualified applicants is clearly false given
that the last application process closed nearly six months ago
and there was no public advertisement of this vacancy.
Mr Martin also said the rushed and unusual manner of the
appointment... is at best squalid.
Ms Whelan was appointed Attorney-General on March 9th
2011 and re-appointed on May 6th 2016.
The Governments move paves the way for a new Fine Gael
appointment of to the office of Attorney-General.
http://www.newstalk.com/Maire-Whelan-appointment-to-top-court-job-
labelled-cronyism

Regina Doherty on Saturday with

Claire Byrne
Jul 9, 2016

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XMprzMOIy0

The absolute sick and twisted mind of the facist . This 'technique' is favoured by narcissistic personality disordered
individuals and is known as Gaslighting .

In an unrelated matter

https://www.irishtimes.com/news/soci...cies-1.3070222
After Leo's crusade against scummers social welfare writes off corporate debt......

The Department of Social Protection is set to write off 345 million owed by companies for unpaid
redundancy and insolvency payments.
A total of 459 million is owed by companies after the department had to step in and cover workers
redundancy payments and other insolvency costs. Some 60 per cent of the 9,306 companies that owe
the State money are either insolvent or dissolved.
The chairman of the Dil public accounts committee, Sean Fleming, said there was a complete
imbalance between how the department chases up individuals for debts, compared with its attitude to
money owed by companies. He said there appeared to be no effort to collect money due to the State
from companies.
Scummers bad, Corporations good.

I wonder if Regina is in there.

Department of Social Protection to

write off 345m over unpaid
redundancies
Companies using liquidation process to shed their debts, says Laois TD Sean
Fleming
Thu, May 4, 2017, 01:00
Jack Power
No effort to collect money due to the State, says Sean Fleming, chairman of the Dil public accounts
committee. Photograph: Cyril Byrne

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The Department of Social Protection is set to write off 345 million owed by companies for unpaid
redundancy and insolvency payments.

A total of 459 million is owed by companies after the department had to step in and cover workers
redundancy payments and other insolvency costs. Some 60 per cent of the 9,306 companies that owe
the State money are either insolvent or dissolved.

The chairman of the Dil public accounts committee, Sean Fleming, said there was a complete
imbalance between how the department chases up individuals for debts, compared with its attitude to
money owed by companies. He said there appeared to be no effort to collect money due to the State
from companies.

The Laois TD said the committee would be following up on why there was such a low return on
companies debts.

He believed some companies were using the liquidation process to shed their debts and then reorganise
to start trading again. There doesnt seem to be any follow-up. Companies are re-trading and are
profitable, and we are instead chasing old age pensioners for overpayments made.

The Department of Social Protection said the vast majority of the debts owed by companies for unpaid
insolvency or redundancy payments would be written off from this year. About 330 million of the
debts are owed by companies that became insolvent during the recession, between 2011 and 2014.

When employees cannot secure a redundancy or insolvency payment from their employer when a
business ceases to trade, the department steps in and funds the redundancy payment, and then raises a
liability against the employer, which it seeks to recover through the liquidation process, a department
spokeswoman said.

Figures supplied to the public accounts committee show that between 2000 and 2009, the State wrote
off more than 1 billion in unrecovered debts from redundancy payments.

Welfare fraud

Minister for Social Protection Leo Varadkar recently launched a campaign encouraging people to
report suspected welfare claims fraud. An advertising campaign to encourage the reporting of fraud is
expected to cost more than 200,000.

Figures from the department indicate that 26 million was recovered from 41 million fraudulent
claims made by individuals last year.

Mistakes made by claimants filling out documentation and Department of Social Protection staff errors
resulted in overpayments of 49 million last year.

Last year 2.3 million was paid out to welfare recipients incorrectly due to administrative errors
made by the Departments staff in computing or determining eligibility a spokeswoman for the
Department said.
Some 46.7 million was paid to welfare recipients who had incorrectly filled in documentation, or
failed to report a change in their circumstances. And a separate 20 million was found to have been
overpaid to claimants last year in pension entitlements after the person had died.

In total the Department recovered 82 million last year from overpayments, and 80 million in 2015.
Mr Fleming said the Minister was chasing people wearing fake beards, and making no effort to
collect the substantially larger sums of money owed by companies.

Vincent giving it to Regina Doherty

May 13, 2015

The bare facts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmZqexvPTSA

Regina Doherty denies expressing

support for civil disobedience
Jan 24, 2017

On RTE's News at One, Government Chief Whip Regina Doherty claims she didn't
previously support civil disobedience by those opposed to pylons in Meath.

We analyse her statements and put her claim to the test.
For details, and a verdict, read the article in full here: http://jrnl.ie/3201736f

TheJournal.ie is an Irish news website that invites its users to shape the news
agenda. Read, share and shape the days stories as they happen, from Ireland, the
world and the web.

Submit your clips to video@thejournal.ie

Stay up to date with all of the latest videos by subscribing to our channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/thejourna...

Download our free iOS app: https://itunes.apple.com/ie/app/thejo...

Download our free Android app https://play.google.com/store/apps/de...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oTjXqcClCNw

Ministers accused of using garda as personal police

following detention of blogger
July 6th 2017

Ministers have been accused of using garda as their personal police

in the Dil chamber this afternoon.

It follows the detention of a blogger while travelling through Dublin

Airport last week.

The blogger was cautioned over a blog post questioning the

personal business dealings of the Social Protection minister, Regina
Doherty.

A spokesperson for the minister confirmed earlier this week that a

Garda complaint had been made, and could not comment further.
Ruth Coppinger of Solidarity says the role of the Garda is sinister.

"In the blog she merely raised issues about the minister's dealings in
a bankrupt company in 2009," she said.

US professor Cetherine Kelly stopped at Irish Airport by police

re: tweets about Regina Doherty
Jul 6, 2017
US professor Cetherine Kelly stopped at irish Airport by police re: tweets about Irish Minister
Regina Doherty
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjUWETLzqXk

"Is it now Government policy to attack anybody who criticises

anyone in the Government on social media in this very sinister way?"

http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/ministers-accused-of-using-gardai-as-
personal-police-following-detention-of-blogger-796662.html