Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)

I have a sense of déjÀ vu in speaking on this matter because it is the second occasion in just over 12 months that the Dáil has received and debated a tribunal report into political corruption. The findings of the Mahon tribunal are depressingly predictable. The story of political corruption in this State has been told chapter by chapter in the pages of tribunal reports. The reports, though free-standing, blend one into another and piece by piece the jigsaw comes together. The Mahon report echoes the Moriarty report. The hands of politicians were greased by rich people seeking and securing lucrative political favours. The conclusion of the Mahon report is that corruption was systemic and pervaded public life. Some politicians operated what amounted to an extortion racket – procuring what they defined as donations for political favour. Those that should have acted were not prepared to take it on or to make it stop. That is also a conclusion of the Mahon report.

Abuse of public office was found at every level, from councillors to Ministers to taoisigh in a top-down, bottom-up toxic political culture. The Mahon report is just the latest revelation in a litany of corruption, maladministration and breaches of fundamental trust by the political establishment. Public confidence in the entire system of public administration has been deeply undermined. People ask whether the behaviour of the political class is consistent with any real claim that this State is a functioning Republic. Do we live in a Republic? That is a question on the minds of people across the land. In a Republic, the people are in charge, decision making is dedicated to the collective good, public moneys and natural resources are deployed in the collective interest and the democratic institutions are transparent and accountable. Could anyone plausibly argue that this is how the State is run? Some view Mahon and indeed Moriarty as products of the bad old days and would have us believe all is changed but that is not the case. The Mahon report identifies outstanding deficiencies in the planning system and recommends independent oversight of the process. It is a sensible recommendation and must be delivered on by the Government.

Deputy Martin, having basked in the reflected glory of Bertie Ahern for 14 years, now sheds crocodile tears. Deputy O'Dea, having brazenly tried to torpedo the tribunal, offers up half-baked explanations. The Mahon report has called time on their posturing. The cat is out of the bag and Fianna Fáil is engaged in nothing more than damage limitation. There is no big change.

The Government benches, with Fine Gael and the Labour Party, may crow at this turn of events but they also have questions to answer. The Moriarty report made that clear. If we have a Government committed to cleaning up politics in this State and one concerned with planning irregularities, how is it that the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Hogan, shut down public inquiries into planning matters across local authorities as one of his first acts in office? These are now carried out in private but the question arises as to why this is the case. If the Mahon report and other tribunal reports prove anything, it is the absolute need for the public gaze to be shone on these matters and the need for accountability and transparency. The Minister and the Government may huff and puff but they need to answer why they shut down those inquiries. What might they be trying to conceal?

The depressing part of this Mahon report is that it will not fundamentally change anything. I hope its recommendations are implemented, that there is reform of local government and that finally we can have a transparent and open method of funding political parties, but the malaise goes much deeper than any of those single actions can address. For me, it is a matter of mindset. Politics in this State is smug and involves a sense of entitlement that does not fit into any republican framework.

The legitimate question for the average person on the street hearing this latest chapter in the story of corruption in this State is: what are the consequences for those who have been found guilty of abusing their public office? What will happen? Many of these characters are drawing down extravagant pensions paid for by the taxpayer. What will happen in that regard? If there is to be even the beginnings of trust rebuilt in the system of public administration, at a minimum there must be consequences for former Taoisigh, former Commissioners and former Ministers who clearly abused, and in some cases corruptly abused, their positions of trust.

Sometimes they say plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose; things on the surface change but in reality they remain constant. Politics in this State is dominated essentially by a cadre of men. We have debated gender in this Chamber in respect of the upcoming quota provisions. I do not want to "over-egg" the point but it is fair to say the kind of imbalance in representational terms we have across Irish political life does not help in terms of trying to conquer a culture and a tradition of political corruption.

We have now almost a tradition of political posturing in this House once these tribunal reports are released, and we have heard people on both sides of the House batting to protect, as it were, the honour of their side. That is to entirely miss the point and the gravity of what has happened because it is nothing short of a democratic crisis if citizens believe the public administration not only fails them but that it actively colludes against their interests. The Mahon and Moriarty reports give us concrete examples of where that was certainly the case. If we are to fix that, rhetoric and spin will not be enough. Big political parties batting for their own self-interest, engaging in damage limitation or mud-slinging from one side to the other will not cut it either. We need a fundamental transformation. We need to understand, as a previous speaker stated, that the people own Ireland and that no political party has this State, this country or its citizens in its back pocket.

I am sure most people are disappointed but not surprised by the Mahon tribunal report, but for the people change must happen in that regard also. There may have been a time in this country where stroke politics and the loveable rogue were overlooked because the economy was buoyant and perhaps times were good. There were certainly times in this State when the loveable rogues and the wrong-doing were overlooked out of a culture of fear. Both of those phenomenon now must come to a definitive end. Politics must offer more for citizens. A real Republic must be built and, crucially, the people - the citizens, the taxpayers - must demand no less than that Republic.

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