@ Alan; Yes it was him. But read up on him & you will see that this wasn’t his worst crime. His ex-wife wrote a book which included some allegations against him which i cant state here for obvious reasons. This was widely know & yet the people of Donegal voted him back in.

I’d state them happily, all you have to do is reference the source.

It has been published without action on his behalf (save his playing the daddy card, which is strange given he wasn’t there while she reared them!), so I reckon it’s safe enough.

Cliff notes basically are; he was an on and off again alcoholic and sometime AA attendee, he is quoted as saying that if one opened a bottle of Powers, there was little point in putting the cap back on, he was known for leading FF piss-ups at think-ins, not that that crowd of redneck backwoodsmen needed any encouragement, he stood shoulder to shoulder with James Pius Clarke, a republican SF member who escaped from the Maze on a charge of attempted murder, on the day when said fellow escaped extradition to the UK, and which when subsequently publicised, cost him his job as Minister for Defence, not because Haughey or FF developed a conscience, but because the PDs threatened to walk.

Latterly, he was by far the worst Dail attendee, and one of the highest claimants, was fond of issuing fraudulent sick certs (an undercover journo caught him out on that one!), took, and may still do, about €200k a year on the GMS scheme through his medical practise, and had the neck to tell us all, that a €100k plus TD salary wasn’t that high, because one had to pay tax on it.

A despicable short sighted, self serving little gombeen, in other words a quintessential Fianna Failer.

He was there for 38 days, not missed 38 days to be precise. Giving 100 is a minimal attendance then he missed 62 days, actually even bigger figure than you said :) Either way that’s quite embarrassing for him, unless there was a good reason for it.

You’re joking right?

Joking about what?

That the electorate of Donegal NE returned him first time, every time?

I’m afraid not, Marguerite.

Actually Brian, I think they can, and should.

I have to do it for my employer, and I’d imagine most others do as well.

Let the TD’s prepare their own claims, and audit accordingly, we have plenty of (wo)man power in the Civil Service to do it.

You know, they are not eating in McDonald’s and not travelling by bus… Then they speak about austerity measures…don’t worry they are the same in every country, not just Ireland – if that makes you feel any better.

Sorry journies, it’s reappeared. Site seems to be slow at the moment, by the way, just letting you know :)