1980s tax evasion, irresponsible opposition and corruption

The tax amnesties in the 1990 proved the high level of tax evasion in Ireland in the 1980s. Such antisocial behaviour made the alleviation of poverty almost impossible. That and the oppositionism of the Haughey gang in Fianna Fail made government in Ireland almost impossible to sustain.

That is why Alan Dukes and the Tallaght Strategy was of such national importance to fiscal salvation. Des Traynor was not the bagman for Garret Fitzgerald. Garret was not above a little bit of favored treatment himself as the bank wrote off his six figure losses on business with GPA. So let him without sin, cast the first stone! The history books will be kind to Garret. Remember Haughey sent Brian Lenihan to Washington to try to undermine the Anglo Irish Agreement only to use it himself as soon as he could. I could write a book on this subject.

Dr Varadkar should calculate the real effects on national interest payments of the jobs stimulus policy of Fine Gael before making simplistic jibes at Garret. Garret did do the state some service. So did Peter Barry, Dick Spring, Barry Desmond, John Bruton, Ruairi Quinn, John Boland and Co. That government did not need a tribunal to investigate its probity. I will stop now.