News that Fianna Fail TD Beverley Flynn receives €40,000 for doing nothing until 2012 because she was elected as an Independent candidate, will sicken anybody who finds themselves paying €100 from today for an A&E visit. It seems that once an independent always an independent from the point of view of payments and there’s no provision for clawing back the money if you subsequently join a party nor retrospectively paying it to someone like Joe Behan if you fall out with your initial party and move on. Ms Flynn rejoined Fianna Fail in April, 2008. Tension between Fianna Fail cumanns in Castlebar is the stuff of political legends and surely now we can see why. Can these cumann members take anymore when someone who looked after themselves when Fianna Fail took flack is seen to be rewarded?
Bertie Ahern is of the view that she could serve as a minister in the future? Finance, perhaps?
This allowance is on top of the expenses she receives as a TD and is additional to her TD’s salary of over €100K. It seems however she was unable to return a call to the newspaper journalist who asked her about the payment. I hope it’s not a case that she hasn’t paid her phone bill and was disconnected.
Few genuinely believed Ms Flynn was ever an independent given her voting record always followed that of Fianna Fail. Of course its not the first time a member of the Flynn dynasty took something for nothing and as they say the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree. Its my experience in local politics that that most Independents are Fianna Failers with the hump over something and I wonder why these candidates merit any payment if successful. Usually they’re better cheerleaders for the well off than the average FF councillor or TD who takes the stick! Perhaps now we see why!
Its not too long ago when Beverley being the principled woman she is took her case to the Four Courts to uphold her good name. Presumably she still has her principles and she’ll return the money in these hard recessionary times? Beverley came to politics after a career in banking and perhaps Brian Cowen may now put her on the board of one of the banks, she’s fit in nicely onto Anglo Irish Bank. A class act indeed!
1 comment:
Flynn is disgusting. She is like a spitting image caricature of the gombeen Irish politician except she is chillingly real. She is a soldier of destiny on the payroll of the Irish taxpayer.
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