Bertie Ahern

Bertie Ahern TD
10th Taoiseach
Incumbent
Assumed office 26 June 1997
Deputy	Mary Harney (1997–2006) Michael McDowell (2006–07) Brian Cowen (2007—)
Preceded by	John Bruton
Constituency	Dublin Central
Personal details
Born	(1951-09-12) 12 September 1951 Dublin, Ireland
Political party	Fianna Fáil
Spouse	Miriam Kelly (separated)

Patrick Bartholomew "Bertie" Ahern (Template:Lang-ga; born 12 September 1951) is an Irish politician who, since 26 June 1997, has served as the tenth Taoiseach of Ireland. He currently heads a coalition government that is led by his Fianna Fáil party and includes the Green Party and the Progressive Democrats, with the support of independent TDs.

Ahern has been a Teachta Dála (TD) since 1977 and he represents the constituency of Dublin Central. He served in the governments of Charles Haughey and Albert Reynolds as Minister for Labour (1987–1991) and Minister for Finance (1991–1994). He also served briefly as acting Tánaiste after the break-up of Albert Reynolds' coalition government. In 1994 he was elected sixth leader of Fianna Fáil.

Ahern is currently embroiled in a scandal regarding payments made to him in the mid-1990s. This issue has seen him called before The Mahon Tribunal.

Early and private life

Ahern was born in Drumcondra, Dublin. This is an area within his Dublin Central constituency where he has lived all his life. His father Con, a native of County Cork, fought in the War of Independence and in the Civil War. Ahern's father was a supporter of Éamon de Valera and the Anti-Treaty IRA. His mother, Julia, was also a native of County Cork. His father was a supporter of the 'Old IRA' for decades after the War of Independence. Ahern claims he can remember guns being hidden around the house, and the Garda Síochána coming to question his father when he was a child. Ahern was educated at St. Patrick's National School in Drumcondra, St. Aidan's Christian Brothers in Whitehall [2], and Dublin Institute of Technology. He has also claimed, or it was claimed by others on his behalf in circulated biographies, that he was educated at University College Dublin and the London School of Economics. Neither university has any records that show Ahern was ever one of their students. He worked in the Accounts Department of the Mater Hospital, Dublin, from where he is still technically on a career break. He has often been described, and has referred to himself, as an accountant and as there is currently no legal definition in Ireland of the term accountant this is technically correct. While he is an honorary member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy; he is not a qualified chartered, certified or public accountant. On the 8 October, 2006 the Irish News of the World described him as 'an accounts clerk.' [3].

By 1972 Ahern had met his future wife, Miriam Kelly, a bank official who lived near to the Aherns. Ahern and Kelly married in 1975. Ahern has two daughters from his marriage: Georgina and Cecelia. The pressure of being Lord Mayor of Dublin in 1986 allied to the stresses involved with holding a Cabinet position contributed to the separation of Ahern and his wife in 1992. They remain on good terms despite a protracted court battle on the terms of separation. Until 2003, Ahern maintained a relationship with Celia Larkin, a Fianna Fáil activist whom he met in the 1980s.

Ahern is a practising Roman Catholic. He visited Lourdes twice with his late mother and attends Mass every Saturday evening in St Mary's Pro-Cathedral in Dublin.

However, he was publicly criticised by the then Archbishop of Dublin Desmond Cardinal Connell for the public nature of his relationship with Celia Larkin. In the Archbishop's view, a separated father living with a woman other than his wife was a bad example to young people aspiring to a leadership position. Larkin was appointed to the board of the National Consumer Agency in July 2005, on the recommendation of Ahern's department.

Ahern is an avid sports fan. He is a keen supporter of Dublin GAA teams and Manchester United football club. He attends matches at Croke Park, Old Trafford and rugby matches at Lansdowne Road regularly.

His brothers Noel Ahern and Maurice Ahern are also active in politics.

Early political career

Ahern first became involved in a Fianna Fáil by-election campaign in 1965, climbing lamp posts to hang election posters in Drumcondra. During the campaign, Ahern met his political mentor and future Taoiseach, Charles Haughey. Ahern became a member of Fianna Fáil at the age of 17, and in the 1969 general election he helped in the election campaign in his constituency.

Ahern's first run for elected office was during the landslide 1977 general election, when Fianna Fáil formed the last single-party government with a 20-seat Dáil majority, the largest ever. Ahern received 4,000 first preference votes in the newly created Dublin Finglas constituency and was elected with transfers from other candidates. In subsequent elections Ahern became one of the highest vote-getters in the country.

During his first years as a Teachta Dála (TD), Ahern was an anonymous backbencher, but did display ambition. In 1979 when Charles Haughey and George Colley, both constituency colleagues, fought a divisive battle for the position of party leader and Taoiseach, Ahern is believed to have backed Haughey. Ahern had served on a health committee with Haughey in the mid-1970s. Following Haughey's victory, Ahern was appointed Assistant-Government Chief Whip.

In 1980, due to the illness of the actual Chief Whip, Seán Moore, he was effectively running the office. Ahern increased his personal vote in all three general elections of 1981 and 1982, even out-polling his running mate, George Colley, previously a candidate for Taoiseach. In the short-lived Fianna Fáil government of 1982 Ahern served as Government Chief Whip. Fianna Fáil were then consigned to the opposition benches for five years. During this period Ahern became Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Labour and, in 1986, Lord Mayor of Dublin.

Cabinet career

Minister for Labour

In 1987 Fianna Fáil returned to power as a minority government. Ahern became Minister for Labour, which was not considered an important portfolio. In the following years, however, the department was important in stimulating Ireland's ailing economy. Haughey, Albert Reynolds and Ray MacSharry were involved in negotiating with trade unions and in making a national economic agreement. Although MacSharry and Reynolds were members of the Party's hierarchy, it was Ahern who was seen as the key player.

In 1989 Haughey called an early general election in the hope of achieving the elusive overall majority which had evaded him so far. However, Fianna Fáil, while increasing its share of the vote, actually lost seats. Fianna Fáil was forced into coalition government to retain power. The Progressive Democrats seemed the most likely partners and negotiations were led by Albert Reynolds and Ahern. Coalition was abhorrent to some members of Fianna Fáil and the negotiations were criticised. This prompted Ahern to quote John F. Kennedy: "We will not negotiate through fear, but we will never fear to negotiate." A coalition was formed with Ahern returning as Minister for Labour again.

Presidential election 1990

In 1990 Ahern was campaign manager for the presidential bid of his cabinet colleague, Brian Lenihan. It proved to be Ahern's least successful campaign as the apparently unbeatable Lenihan lost to the Labour Party's Mary Robinson.

Controversy surrounded the revelation that Lenihan's public version of an incident involving the outgoing President contradicted the version told earlier to a journalist. Ahern's revelation, whether deliberate or accidental, that the journalist was Jim Duffy, lead to the reluctant release of a portion of the original interview. In the aftermath, Lenihan was sacked from the Cabinet and lost the election. Ahern was damaged in the short term by being seen as the first Fianna Fáil presidential election campaign manager to lose a presidential election.

In 1991 the Fianna Fáil–Progressive Democrats programme for government was reviewed. Ahern was a key player in these talks yet again. When all hope had faded of a return to government Ahern pulled off a master stroke and the coalition was back on track. This prompted Haughey to remark of Ahern, "He's the most skilful, the most devious, the most cunning of them all."

Minister for Finance

In November 1991, Reynolds, then Minister for Finance, launched a leadership challenge to Haughey. Ahern publicly backed Haughey. The challenge failed and Reynolds and his supporters were dismissed from the Cabinet. In the reshuffle that followed Ahern became Minister for Finance.

Reynolds succeeds

In early 1992 Charles Haughey resigned. Ahern was encouraged by Haughey and others to bid for the position. He was apprehensive, however, and remained out of the contest, allowing Reynolds to become party leader and Taoiseach. It is believed that Reynolds and Ahern struck a deal in which Ahern would withdraw and thus remain in the Cabinet, to succeed subsequently. Ahern and Michael Woods were the only two senior members to remain in the new Reynolds Cabinet, with Ahern retaining his Finance portfolio.

Following the 1992 general election Fianna Fáil formed a coalition government with the Labour Party. This lasted until 1994 when Labour withdrew from government due to unhappiness with Reynolds's proposed candidate for President of the High Court. Ahern briefly succeeded Labour leader Dick Spring as acting Tánaiste. However the government fell and Reynolds resigned as Taoiseach and Fianna Fáil leader.

During 1993, while he was Finance Minister, Ahern accepted payments of IR £39,000 from various businessmen: see below for details. These payments did not become public knowledge until 2006.

He is also under scrutiny from the Mahon Tribunal for this cash payment and subsequent revelations in May 2007 of cash received from businessman Micheál Wall.

Leader of Fianna Fáil

Ahern succeeded Reynolds as leader; the first unopposed candidate since Seán Lemass in 1959. Ahern was elected as the sixth leader of Fianna Fáil on 17 November, 1994.

Negotiations for a resumption of Government with the Labour Party began immediately. It was expected that the coalition would continue and that Ahern would become Taoiseach. However, due to new revelations, the Labour leader withdrew from coalition and Ahern found himself as Leader of the Opposition.

In the 1997 general election Fianna Fáil's campaign centered on Ahern's personal popularity. The party gained seats and formed a coalition government with the Progressive Democrats, with the support of four Independent TDs. On 26 June, 1997, aged 45, Ahern became the youngest ever Taoiseach.

Taoiseach 1997–2002

Early issues

Ahern's first government saw some teething problems during its first six months. Firstly, Ahern tried to nominate David Andrews as Minister for Defence and as Junior Minister at the Department of Foreign Affairs. This was unconstitutional as one minister cannot be subordinate to another. Ahern was forced to retreat.

Secondly, in July, Charles Haughey gave evidence to the McCracken Tribunal on corruption confirming that he had received IR£1.3 million (€1.7 million) in gifts from businessman Ben Dunne, which he had previously denied. This damaged Haughey's reputation more than the Government's.

Thirdly, earlier allegations resurfaced about Ahern's Foreign Minister, Ray Burke. Burke eventually admitted to receiving IR£30,000 (€38,000) in a corrupt payment and was forced to resign. Arising from those two matters, the government established the Moriarty Tribunal and the Flood Tribunal. One of the high points of the first six months was the renewal of the Provisional IRA ceasefire, which paved the way for resumed negotiations in Northern Ireland.

Presidential election 1997

Another controversy during Ahern's first term in office was the selection of the Fianna Fáil candidate to contest the 1997 Presidential election. The party was still sensitive to the loss of the 1990 presidential election. Former Taoiseach Albert Reynolds, seen as having made significant contributions to the establishment of the Northern Ireland peace process, and former Foreign Minister Michael O'Kennedy both showed interest in the nomination. Ahern, it is alleged, had promised Reynolds his support if Reynolds first ran in the 1997 general election. However a relatively unknown party activist, Mary McAleese, also sought the nomination. In a meeting of ministers, Ahern gave an ambiguous speech which seemed to encourage his Cabinet to support McAleese. McAleese was selected by Fianna Fáil and subsequently elected as the eighth President of Ireland. Reynolds was humiliated.

Peace process

A significant achievement of Ahern's first term was his part in the negotiation of the Belfast Agreement, commonly called the Good Friday Agreement, in which the British and Irish Governments and most Northern Irish political parties established an "exclusively peaceful and democratic" framework for power-sharing in Northern Ireland. The agreement was signed on 10 April, 1998. It was seen as something special because not only was it endorsed by the political parties, it was endorsed also by the British and Irish governments and the people of the Republic and Northern Ireland.

The agreement, the ceasefires and political structures it created have encouraged peace. The negotiations also led to his friendship with the former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair. On 26 November, 1998 Blair became the first Prime Minister of the United Kingdom to address Dáil Éireann.

Economy

Ahern's term in office so far has been a period of high economic growth in Ireland, known as the Celtic Tiger. Increased prosperity and a better standard of living were the main results of the Celtic Tiger economy. The good economic conditions allowed his Minister for Finance, Charlie McCreevy, to deliver several generous budgets. However this has started to change recently with a tight budget for 2008 with unemployment expected to rise 5.6% this year with the construction industry on the fall. Economic growth has also slowed to its lowest levels in over a decade, and Ireland is one of the most expensive places to live in the world, this is due to inflation running at 5% last year.

Another achievement was Ireland's vigilant and swift reaction to the 2001 Foot & Mouth Disease Crisis. Only a handful of cases were reported in Ireland and the government was generally praised for their intervention.

General election 2002

The 28th Dáil served its full term becoming the 2nd longest Dáil to complete a full term. The coalition of Fianna Fáil and Progressive Democrats was re-elected with an increased majority in the 2002 general election on 17 May. Fianna Fáil had hoped for a majority, but remained three seats short of the 84 required. The coalition Government returned to power, compromised of Fianna Fáil and the eight Progressive Democrats TDs. It was the first time a Government had been re-elected since Jack Lynch's in 1969. The opposition Fine Gael party suffered substantial losses.

Taoiseach 2002–2007

File:BushBlairAhern.jpg

US President George W. Bush, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Ahern at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland on 8 April, 2003.

Controversy arose when it was announced shortly afterwards that financial cutbacks were needed due to the drop in the international and Irish economies. This contradicted Fianna Fáil's promise during the election campaign when Finance Minister McCreevy was quoted several times saying that "no cutbacks, secret or otherwise, were planned". The government was accused of lying to the public, particularly concerning the war in Iraq (see below). The Government's rating fell badly in opinion polls and Ahern's popularity dropped to its minimum.

During 2003, the government was subject to more controversy when it became public that US military aircraft, carrying large numbers of troops, were refuelling at Shannon Airport, despite opposition in certain sectors to the 2003 Invasion of Iraq. Ireland's policy since the foundation of the State has been to be a neutral party in any conflict. The Government had maintained that troops had not used Shannon but when this was disproved, it then claimed that such permission had been available for 50 years.

The drop in opinion poll ratings for Ahern and his government after the 2002 election was followed in 2004 by Fianna Fáil's worst local election results in 80 years. Despite speculation, no leadership challenge occurred and Ahern recovered in the polls. His reputation for inaction in changing Cabinet ministers ended with his long-heralded 2004 Cabinet reshuffle which earned him the nickname, "the Tipp-Ex Taoiseach" after his failed attempt to sack Séamus Brennan from the Cabinet. The reshuffle was not as extensive as some had hoped as only three new members entered government.

File:Bertie ahern with bush.jpg

President George W. Bush accepts a bowl of shamrock from Taoiseach Bertie Ahern during a ceremony celebrating St. Patrick's Day in 2005.

The unpopular phase seemed short-lived as the government rearranged its priorities and the economy grew. A notable law enacted by this government was the ban on smoking in workplaces and enclosed areas in March 2004. Improvements had been made in the transport infrastructure with the launch of the Luas light rail system in Dublin, many new motorways being built and the break-up of Aer Rianta, the state-owned Airport Management company.

In November 2004, Ahern celebrated ten years as leader of Fianna Fáil. In April 2006, he became the second longest serving Taoiseach, after Éamon de Valera.

One of Ahern's achievements in 2004 was his Presidency of the European Council [4], during which EU leaders agreed a European Constitution, there was recovery in EU-US relations, the EU formally admitted 10 new members, and selected José Manuel Barroso as next President of the European Commission. Briefly, it appeared as if Ahern himself might become President of the Commission, however, he declined in favour of domestic politics. The treaty was subsequently defeated in referenda in the Netherlands and France.

Ahern's government spent €52 million on the Nedap Electronic Voting system. This was challenged as being insecure and could have been tampered with in order to change results.

His coalition partners in government, the Progressive Democrats, said that he had questions to answer as details of an £8,000 (€11,800) payment for speaking engagements, in Manchester in 1994, emerged. The continued appearance of details of his appearances in Manchester and the names of those who were present at functions threatened to destabilise his Coalition Government, especially so when it transpired that one of the businessmen Micheál Wall subsequently sold a house to Ahern. The strains in the coalition eased after Ahern apologised for a second time in the Dáil and agreed to tighten up on ethics legislation.

The Moriarty Tribunal [5] reporting in December 2006, criticised Ahern for having signed blank cheques for the then party leader Charles Haughey, who misappropriated taxpayers' funds for personal use. The disbursement of funds to Fianna Fáil and their investigation by the tribunal have raised questions of the involvement of Ahern in the administration of these funds. FF money trail leaves many questions unanswered.

In May 2007 he became the first Irish leader to address a joint session of the UK Parliament [6]

General election 2007

Ahern hoped to win a third general election in 2007 while opinion polls, in April 2007, suggested that this was improbable.

Polls in April 2007 showed his coalition of Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats at 35% and 3% respectively against the Fine Gael–Labour Party alternative government figure of 38%. A further poll published 27 April, 2007, shows Fianna Fáil and Progressive Democrats at 34% and 3% respectively compared to Fine Gael and Labour at 31% and 10%. A promise by the Labour Party, at their February 2007 party conference of a cut in the basic rate of income tax, paid by 80% of workers, from 20% to 18% created some excitement in political and media circles. Income tax cuts by the Fianna Fáil–Progressive Democrats government had concentrated on the top rate of tax and Labour were able to portray their proposal as progressive to the discomfiture of Fianna Fáil.

Bertie Ahern received staunch support during the campaign from Eoghan Harris, writing in the Sunday Independent. Harris declared that the anti-Ahern campaign was the most sinister manipulation of the Irish media that he had seen in his lifetime, and that Sinn Féin would be the main beneficiaries of a fall in support for Ahern and Fianna Fáil. Harris was nominated to Seanad Éireann on 3 August, 2007 by Ahern.

Ahern dissolved the Dáil in April 2007 and called an election for 24 May, 2007. Ahern's party received 78 seats a loss of three seats from the 2002 election result. This was regarded as a Fianna Fáil 'victory', as questions about Ahern's finances overshadowed the early part of the election campaign, which threatened to cause huge losses for Ahern's party. His partners in the government, the Progressive Democrats suffered a reduction in representation from 8 to 2 seats including the loss of their leader.

Taoiseach 2007–present

Following the general election of 2007 Ahern was elected to a third term as Taoiseach, leading a coalition of Fianna Fáil, the Green Party and the Progressive Democrats, and also supported by several Independent TDs.

Requiring 83 seats to return the government, Ahern's options were to attempt to govern with the Progressive Democrats plus two "gene-pool" independents (Jackie Healy-Rae and Beverley Flynn) and one or more of the other three independents (Michael Lowry (ex Fine Gael) Finian McGrath or Tony Gregory). The other options were an alliance with the Green Party or the Labour Party. In the event, Fianna Fáil negotiated a programme for government with the Green Party, and formed a new coalition with the Green Party and the Progressive Democrats, supported by Healy-Rae, Flynn, Lowry and McGrath.

On Wednesday, 4 July, 2007 Ahern stated at a conference in Donegal, that he did not understand why people sitting on the sidelines, moaning and cribbing about the economy did not commit suicide. These comments came at a time when Ireland's economy is beginning to falter, and with property prices falling by up to 10% as part of the Irish Property Bubble.

An opinion poll published on 25 November, 2007, showed that support for Fianna Fáil dropped by seven percent, "following the announcement of large pay increases for the government and senior public servants against a backdrop of continuing economic uncertainty and high-profile failures in the health service."

Controversy

Admission of undeclared payments

Ahern was criticised by the Moriarty Tribunal for signing blank cheques for the then Taoiseach Charles Haughey, without asking what those cheques were for. Ahern told the tribunal that a policy of signing blank cheques was used on the Fianna Fáil party leader's account for reasons of "administrative convenience". In September 2006 The Irish Times printed claims allegedly leaked from The Mahon Tribunal that Ahern had received money from a millionaire businessman while Minister for Finance in 1993.

The editor of The Irish Times defended the publication as being in the public interest at a hearing of the tribunal, saying that it was not a party to the Supreme Court case which restrained the Sunday Business Post from publishing leaked documents. This order was directed against the Sunday Business Post but its interim order purported to restrain all media outlets from publishing confidential material from the inquiry.

Ahern has admitted that he did receive money but said on being interviewed that:

What I got personally in my life, to be frank with you is none of your business. If I got something from somebody as a present or something like that I can use it.

What Ahern said in 1996, while in opposition:

The public are entitled to have an absolute guarantee of the financial probity and integrity of their elected representatives, their officials and above all of Ministers. They need to know that they are under financial obligations to nobody. (Dáil Éireann transcript, December 1996)

This contradiction has been criticised in editorials in both the Irish Independent [7] and The Irish Times [8]

Six days after the payments were publicised, Ahern admitted in a television interview that he had received two payments totalling IR£39,000 (€50,000) in 1993 and 1994. Ahern regarded the money as a loan, but he conceded that no repayments had at that time (September 2006) been made and no interest has been paid. He said that he had attempted to repay it, but that his friends would not accept repayment. He claimed that he had broken no codes - ethical, tax, legal or otherwise.

On 28 November, 2007, former NCB managing director Padraic O'Connor at the Mahon Tribunal, "directly contradicted Mr Ahern's claims that long-standing friends gave him a loan just after Christmas 1993."

In the same interview, he also admitted to receiving a payment of £8,000 from a group of 25 businessmen in Manchester on one occasion. He claimed that this money was again unsolicited, that it was a gift and therefore not subject to tax as it had been received when abroad, and that it was paid to him after he gave an after-dinner speech at an ad hoc function. He claimed that the money was given to him as a private citizen, not to him in his then role as Minister for Finance, and that no other payments were received by him after speaking at other similar functions. The Irish Times reported on 30 September, 2006 that part of this payment was actually a cheque drawn on NCB Stockbrokers, a large Irish company. A number of his benefactors have received appointments as directors of State boards. Insisting that no favours had been offered or received, Ahern said:

I might have appointed somebody but I appointed them because they were friends, not because of anything they had given me.

Under the Standards in Public Office Commission's rules,

State appointments should be made on the basis of merit, taking into account the skills, qualifications and experience of the person to be appointed.

Members of Dáil Éireann must conduct themselves [9]

in accordance with the provisions and spirit of the Code of Conduct and ensure that their conduct does not bring the integrity of their office or the Dáil into serious disrepute.

In the face of negative publicity, Ahern has repaid the monies advanced to him, with 5% interest totaling €90,000.

On 3 October, 2006 Ahern made a 15 minute statement in Dáil Éireann defending his actions in taking loans totalling IR£39,000 (€50,000) from friends in Ireland and £8,000 (€11,800) as a gift from businessmen in Manchester in 1993 and 1994. In his statement he apologised for the distress his actions had brought saying:

The bewilderment caused to the public about recent revelations has been deeply upsetting for me and others near and dear to me. To them, to the Irish people and to this house, I offer my apologies.

'No bank account'

Further questions were raised about IR£50,000 (€63,300) which he had lodged to his bank account in 1994. He claimed this was money he had saved over a substantial period of time (1987–1994) when he had had no active bank account. During this period he was Minister for Labour and subsequently Minister for Finance. He was asked by the leader of the Labour party, Pat Rabbitte whether, in the absence of a bank account, he had kept the money in a sock in the hot-press and by Joe Higgins, the leader of the Socialist Party if he had kept the money in a shoe-box. Ahern replied that he had kept the money in his own possession.

Payment in relation to house

On 5 October, 2006 further information emerged in the Dáil that Ahern had bought his house in Dublin from Manchester based Irish businessman, Micheál Wall, who was at an event in Manchester in 1994 where the Taoiseach received a payment of £8,000 (€11,800). This caused further tensions within the Government coalition parties.

On 10 October, 2006 the Taoiseach again told the Dáil that it was an error of judgment for him to accept loans and gifts for personal purposes in the early 1990s. Ahern expanded on his apology to the Dáil of the previous week, which he described as unqualified. Ahern said there would now be a change in the ethics law requiring office holders offered a gift from friends to consult the Standards in Public Office Commission[10] and to accept their ruling.

Money from developer

Allegations had been made that he had taken IR£50,000 (€63,300) from a property developer, Owen O'Callaghan, in return for favours at this time. Ahern won a libel action against a Cork businessman, Denis "Starry" O'Brien, defending himself against this allegation.

In March 2007, one of Ahern's Manchester benefactors, Paddy 'The Plasterer' Reilly, was appointed as the Fianna Fáil Director of Elections for Ahern's Dublin Central constituency.

In April 2007, it was alleged in a statement by his former official driver, that Ahern in 1994, while Minister for Finance, took a briefcase full of cash to Manchester. This has been denied by Ahern.

While the payment details initially seemed to damage Ahern's standing, the result of the 2007 general election indicated that the damage was far from lasting. In April 2007, an opinion poll found that nearly half of voters believe Taoiseach Bertie Ahern still has questions to answer over the payments controversy.

Payment to refurbish property managed by Celia Larkin

In May 2007, it emerged that Ahern's then partner, Celia Larkin, received £30,000 from the businessman Micheál Wall to contribute towards the refurbishment of the house that Ahern was to buy later. Questions for Bertie..

Appearance at the Mahon Planning Tribunal

On 13 September, 2007, Ahern commenced four days of testimony under oath at the Mahon Tribunal. On 13 September, Ahern admitted that he had not cooperated with the Mahon planning tribunal. Counsel stated that information supplied "did not encompass all of the material questions that had been asked of you" to which Ahern replied "I accept that, yes". On 14 September 2007, inconsistencies in Ahern's statements to the Tribunal emerged, after he changed his story on story on the infamous IR£25,000 dig-outs. On 21 September 2007 Ahern again changed his story and said he couldn't remember key events at the centre of the current controversy.

Tribunal chairman Judge Alan Mahon said there were "significant gaps in the money trail provided by Mr Ahern which "would have made it impossible for the tribunal to follow the trail".

Judge Gerald Keyes accused Mr Ahern of having no recollection of buying stg£30,000 in the early 1990s.

Judge Mary Faherty accused Mr Ahern of giving polar opposite accounts of why he withdrew IR£50,000 from AIB, O'Connell St in January 1995.

On 24 September there were further discrepancies, memory lapses and contradictions to his testimony under oath with Ahern agreeing with the assertions of the Tribunal that there are inconsistencies and contradictions in his statements compared to bank records and the testimony of his then partner Ms Larkin.
Ahern agreed with the Tribunal that; "It cannot be the case that Ms Larkin changed a sterling equivalent of £28,772.90 on that day, if that bank record is accurate, isn't that correct?".
Journalist Vincent Browne has asserted that "Ahern’s numbers game just doesn’t add up".

Again on 20 and 21 December, 2007, Ahern spent two further days under questioning by the Mahon tribunal about his finances in the 1990's. In January 2008, it was revealed that Ahern was in discussion with the Revenue Commissioners about his liability for tax on the sums received in Manchester and on his tax clearance status as declared in 2002, before details of the Manchester payments were revealed. Opposition leader Enda Kenny has said that, it is not acceptable to have a Taoiseach who cannot declare compliance with the tax codes.

Pay-rises

On the 25 October, 2007, Ahern was criticised for approving a new pay rise for his office. The pay-rise for his position (up €38,000 to €310,000 per annum), would have made it higher paying than that of the U.S. President and made him the highest paid Head of government in the European Union.

Criticism from opposition parties concentrated on the timing of the announcement (following highly-publicised budgetary concerns at the Health Service Executive) and the fact that Ahern's increase alone would amount to about four times the basic social welfare payment. On the 12 December, 2007, it was announced that the first part of the pay-rises would be deferred by a year, with the remainder paid in 2009 and 2010.

However this decision was also met with disapproval from opposition parties, as well as trade unions. It should be noted that the pay-rise was initially recommended by the Review Body on Higher Remuneration, and accepted by the Cabinet.

The future

Ahern's reputation has been damaged by the accusation of cash gifts received that have transmuted to loans from businessmen. His reputation as the Teflon Taoiseach (no allegation of unethical behaviour has stuck to him until September 2006) has been damaged. He has been criticised in the foreign press as well as in the Irish media.

To the surprise of many observers however, polls taken during and after the crisis indicated a sharp rise in support for the Ahern government and a corresponding fall in support for the Opposition parties. While 55-64% of the public believed that he was wrong to accept the payments, support for his party rose to 39-42%, while support for the main Opposition parties Fine Gael and the Labour Party fell to 20-26% and 10-11%. Two-thirds believed he should not have resigned. The polls provoked complaint from the media. The Irish Times commented they were a "poor reflection of ourselves".

Ahern stated in an interview in the Village on 22 May, 2007 that he intends to retire from politics when he is 60. He stated this would mean standing down as Taoiseach before the end of the current Dáil term, which ends in 2012 at the latest.

In an opinion poll taken in September 2007, subsequent to Ahern's initial two day appearance at the Mahon Tribunal, fewer than one-third of voters now believe Ahern’s accounts of his finances.

Opposition parties had previously been muted in their reaction but in September 2007 Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore called for Ahern to resign in light of his appearance at the Mahon Tribunal and on 23 September 2007, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny was heavily critical of the "rambling, incoherent" answers offered by Ahern to the Mahon tribunal in September 2007. Kenny said there was now a situation whereby a witness before a tribunal, testifying on oath, "is continually changing his story". It "create[s] a credibility problem and that's the issue the Taoiseach has got to deal with".
On resumption of the Dáil on 26 September a motion of no confidence in Ahern's Government was moved by Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny, based on Ahern's statements to the Mahon Tribunal.

The Green Party, PDs and Independent TDs who support the Government voted for Mr Ahern in the motion of no confidence. In a stormy three-hour Dáil debate, Ahern was accused of telling "lies" and was called upon to resign. The no confidence motion was defeated by 81 votes to 76, with all six Green Party TDs, two PDs and four Independents, Finian McGrath, Beverly Flynn, Michael Lowry and Jackie Healy-Rae voting with the Government.

In an opinion poll published in November 2007, some three-quarters of voters indicated that they did not believe that Ahern had given a full disclosure about his personal finances to the Mahon Tribunal. The opinion poll also showed more than half of the electorate believing that the whole episode is now a serious political issue for Ahern.

Governments

• 25th Government of Ireland (June 1997–June 2002)
• 26th Government of Ireland (June 2002–June 2007)
• 27th Government of Ireland (June 2007–present)

Trivia

• Ahern's difficulties over his acceptance of money from friends, while Minister for Finance has become known in the press as "Bertiegate" [11].
• In 2004, Joe Higgins TD described Ahern's response to questions as "like playing handball against a hay stack. You hear a dull thud but the ball never comes back to you".
• Ahern has been described by disgraced former Taoiseach Charles Haughey as the best, the most skillful, the most devious and the most cunning of them all.
• Sport is one of Ahern's passions. He appeared as a pundit on RTÉ Two's The Premiership programme in 2001 [12].
• As of June 2007, Ahern is the second longest-serving political leader among the 25 European Union member states.
• Ahern is one of the main characters portrayed in the spoof radio comic strip Gift Grub
• Bertie Ahern is a Member of the Comite d'Honneur of the Institute of European Affairs in Dublin.
• The fortnightly magazine The Phoenix features "De Diary of a Nortsoide Taoiseach", a satirical column written from Ahern's point of view in a phonetic transliteration of his broad north Dublin accent. (subscription required)
• Ahern has been satirised in a purported spoof publication Bertie's little book of ethics.[13]
• Ahern is the first Taoiseach to have had a legal separation from his wife.
• A publication of the sayings of Ahern, De Little Book of Bertie was published in 2007.

Political career

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External links

• Department of the Taoiseach
• Official Oireachtas Database entry for Ahern
• Make or Break for Europe's Constitution – Bertie Ahern's Project Syndicate
• Bertie Ahern's electoral history (ElectionsIreland.org)
• Video of Ahern's speech to The American Ireland Fund National Gala 2007
• Ahern speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations, 14 March, 2007.

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