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FORMER TAOISEACH BERTIE Ahern has rejoined Fianna Fáil more than 10 years after he quit the party.
A spokesperson for Fianna Fáil said: “We received a membership application and it was accepted by the Party.”
It’s understood Ahern has rejoined the party as an ordinary member.
Members are considered provisional during their first year and they do not have voting rights.
Ahern resigned from Fianna Fáil in 2012 after the Mahon Tribunal. He stepped down as Taoiseach in 2008 and as a TD in 2011. He made the move before party leader Micheál Martin sought to expel him from the party.
The tribunal (officially the Tribunal of Inquiry into Certain Planning Matters and Payments) found that he did not truthfully account for payments of IR£165,000 made to accounts connected to him.
It was scathing in its treatment of the former Taoiseach, rejecting much of the evidence he provided in connection to a substantial number of lodgements made in the 1990s.
Although the tribunal did not make findings of corruption against Ahern, it proved hugely damaging to his reputation. He has disputed the findings.
In September, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin indicated he would be open to allowing Ahern back into Fianna Fáil.
Martin said that he had been engaging with the former taoiseach in recent times, particularly about issues around the Northern Ireland Protocol.
He said: “In terms of Bertie Ahern, I have been engaging with Bertie Ahern actually over the last year and a bit, since the rows on the protocol, and he’s very involved in Northern Ireland issues, he maintains contacts with different groups.
“From my perspective, like that level of consultation will continue because I think he has invaluable insights to all of that.”
Martin said that his former colleague has experience with a range of groups in Northern Ireland.
“He has reached out to communities in the north and is sort of picking up perspectives in different communities and that’s been valuable in terms of engaging and discussions on that,” the Fianna Fail leader added.
“No one can take from the contribution he made to peace in Ireland and to the peace process, so the fullness of time certainly we will give him that consideration.
“It’s very relaxed when we meet.”
When reminded that he sought to expel his predecessor from the party, Martin said that he resigned in the wake of the tribunal.
“As far as I am concerned, it’s 10 years on, I’m conscious of the contribution he has made to peace in the country.
“He made a very significant contribution,” Martin added.
With reporting by Press Association
Getting ready to run for President.
@Pj Quinn: I hope he does. I would get great pleasure in not voting for him, and seeing him come last.
@Pj Quinn: imagine him on the world stage, Memory like a sieve
@Pj Quinn: And the many subservient fools and lackeys will ensure that he wins by a landslide..What is it with Irish people who have a severe lack of self esteem,self respect and underclass behavior when they put certain individuals in society on a pedestal and worship them..? I’m convinced it’s a hangover from our colonial occupation and we feel we need a master to obey and serve.
@Redseat92: I think when you remind people of his remark about economists predicting the crash would be better off committing suicide it males them realise what a creep he is.
@Conor McNamara: In order to get your wish somebody needs to put up another candidate. The risk here is that FF and FG might agree on Bertie and he could get in without you or I getting the opportunity to express our opinion.
Check his pockets!!
Final nail in the coffin
@John Devine: Which coffin?
@sean o’dhubhghaill: Fianna Fáils coffin.
Has he opened a bank account
@Bernard A Kavanagh: my thoughts exactly!!
@Bernard A Kavanagh: He’s cute enough now to know he wouldn’t get away with that these days, so I’d say he’s got his millions safely tucked away in the Cayman Island!!
If things in the world could not be bad enough!
The clocks have went forward 7 weeks.. Happy April 1st.
Getting ready to run for president counting on people not remembering the damage he done to the country that our children and grandchildren will be still paying for
Shouldn’t be allowed he’s retired on a full pension and now he get to earn more unless he doesn’t get paid and no expenses
@Trisha McCormack: It’s just party membership
@Veronica: Are you being serious? Even your wit is sad.
@Trisha McCormack: is that pension cashed in the pub or would he have a bank account by now I wonder..
What a shocker FF have been building him up to be the next president for years. They couldn’t find anyone better?
@Matthew Donoghue: bertie v Jerry
@Patrick Malone: both couldn’t tell the truth
As if FF didn’t have enough problems with the next general election already
10 years wasn’t enough to wipe the memory, Albert.
Fianna Fail mustn’t have any other direction to go in other than backwards!
This will finish them surely?
Excellent, that’ll kill them at election time.
@Jason Walsh: good
Should be in jail
Roll on GiftGrub tomorrow
Fianna Finnished
Sure if you forget all he did
He did nothing wrong
With lot of banks closing down, he won’t have any questions to answer as why he hasn’t a bank account
The Gravy Train continues
Is this Waterford Whispers??!!!!
Tis like ronaldo back to united all over again. Can’t wait until it all goes pear shaped and he gives a tell all interview to niall boylan about having to pay for his own pints in the dail bar.
Has he got a bank account yet or is it still cash cash cash
Does he come with his own brown envelopes?
Teflon Don returns.
BBBBBB BERTIE. Ahm but, I kept all me dosh under the mattress :)
The boom is back
@Dave Mc Cormack Higgins:
Not only is it back, it’s Boomier. Guttersnipe.
FG have spent so many years screwing the taxpayer that even Bertie looks a better alternative.
Never voted for him but I enjoy listening to his interviews on Brexit and the North. He understands the unionist’s concerns and fears.
@Declan Reidy: as so what. There are plenty that can do same and probably better.
Judged against the current FF leader who also had issues with bank accounts Bertie just another ordinary decent criminal.
I, for one, welcome our New (Old) Overlord.
All Hail the Benevolent Bertie!
Will he have a Bank Account now cos he claimed he had none before.. mehole expelled him like a good little School Principal but now its ok to forgive him cos it all happened so long ago & the focus is on FG screwing us.. neither party will ever get any number beside them on ballot paper
@Veronica: Did you vote for them last time????
‘The Boom getting Boomier?’
-Bertie, Celtic Tiger Era
A mafia reunion.
Now I know we’re f@cked!!!
The next president after Michael D, just you wait.
The final nail in the FF coffin…
What a disgrace
You don’t get this fella, he doesn’t do No, this is a vile creature who sees it as his birthright to get the job in the park.No wonder he is back in the GYM.
Hopefully this will be the end of this corrupt party .
JASUS!!!!!!!
Get the man a bank account
Shameless!
Possible review needed on the corruption scale as this p… poor decision will have the country clearly in no man’s land… Christ you couldn’t make it up, the absolute state of Irish politics.
Truly a MAFFia organisation! Shameless!
A MaFFia organisation!
He was found wanting on money matters , FF are wrong to all him rejoin the party. He corrupted the system of government at that time and nothing excuses that.
Embarrassing in the extreme, taking this effing clown back into a political party. Gombeenism at its best. How about the healy raes becoming his assistants?
The more things change, the more they stay the same!
The usual begrudgerry is being posted here,are we surprised,no we’re not
@Sean Doheny: Well, go away then. Ten years should do it.
@Sean Doheny: Begrudgerry,!! He should have been jailed!
@Sean Doheny: you’re the kind of person that has ruined irish politics. No matter what bertie and ff do you’ll back them up. Each person in Ireland owes 44k I’d say bertie is the cause of atleast 30k of that so I’d say begrudgery is the wrong word for it.
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.
@Brendan Gilligan: History doesn’t repeat itself. But it often rhymes. – Mark Twain.
You couldn’t write this shyte ,,fffg out !!!
Heard he just opened a bank account today with KBC.
Former Gangster more like
He was found wanting on money matters , FF are wrong to all him rejoin the party. He was unable to answer serious questions about his remuneration sources when in Government and that has made all of that era somewhat guilty of corruption.
Oh Noooooo!
Of all the things he did, I think his treatment in his abandonment of his loyal secretary Gráinne Carruth during the mahon tribunal marks him out as a pure snivelling little gobsheen, no man of any quality. I really do hope he runs for president , it’ll be great to hear the people of Ireland booing him once again…back in the kitchen cupboard bertie ya wee gombeen
Who can take the rainbow?
(Who can take the rainbow?)
Wrap it in a sigh
(Wrap it in a sigh)
Soak it in the sun and make a groovy lemon pie
The Anorak man
Oh! the Anorak man
Hope he gets a raffle ticket.
The crater….we missed him dearly.
Coming back to build the Bertie Bowl
@pkunzip doom2.zip:
Yea, the Bertie begging bowl.
A perfect match
FF arrogance once again, total disregard for the Irish Nation. Short memories….roll on the general election, we are still paying for their incompetence and will be for many generations to come!
……and I’m out
See you next Tuesday.
Corruption.
Dear Journal,
Why do you delete truthful statements?
Corrupt, narcissist, brown envelope, pension, self serving.
Great in depth knowledge of Northern Ireland issues, he should be used in that sphere.
@Max Cyclist: thanks but no thanks
He’ll need another recycling bin for all the brown envelopes
Say what you like about Bertie but he was the one who got the better of the Unionists and they alleys the Brits
Only for Bertie the SAS would still be lying in the tall grass for the IRA. We’d be still reading (daily) headlines like IRA 0 – SAS 4
Bertie is only a FF ordinary member. I doubt very much that the FF party would be foolish enough to nominate him as the party contender for the presidency when the time comes.
I never had much time for Bertie but I will admit that he did a great job on bringing peace to Northern Ireland. I also believe that , with his understanding of the North and goodwill connections, he could make a very positive contribution to ending the deadlock up there.
So let’s give him a chance to redeem himself.
Why would he not return to the party, and why not run for president, given the same people keep voting for same few parties and politicians he has to be favourite to win.
I wonder which constituency he joined in.
OMFG…..
What do you think of that Leo?
No bank account but I can guarantee that if he runs for President the many subservient fools and lackeys in this country will ensure that he wins by a landslide..Get your bets on now,It will be the easiest money you will ever make,
Still paying 7% universal social charge thanks to him. He will be the death of FF.
So bring him on without shame.
He ruined this country. We don’t need someone like that again. His another Charles Haughey.
The very fact that he’s sticking his head out of whatever toilet he currently “floating” in speaks volumes about Bertie’s mentality.
After playing a major part in running this country into the ground, leaving us in hoc with the IMF, condemning generations to paying for his incompetence and living off a fat pension that we’re still paying for, he actually believes that ANYBODY ever wants to see or hear from this clown again. Climb back into the bowl Bertie, close the lid, and give it a really good FLUSH Goodbye !!!
lining his pockets at the expense of ordinary people,
have your say