McCreevy diaries prove again need for lobbyist register
Issued : Wednesday 8 February, 2012
Labour MEP Nessa Childers expressed shock at the 2003 diary of Minister for Finance Charlie McCreevy, which was revealed online today.
"We now know some of the names and dates of former Minister for Finance McCreevy's personal meetings with major developers and bankers in the middle of the Irish property bubble.
"These businessmen were of course lobbying for special favours for their property interests, at the expense of young people trying to buy a home at the time. The Irish people are suffering the results of the property crash, for which former Minister McCreevy is one of the main architects.
"These meetings prove again the need for a mandatory and effective register of lobbyists in Ireland, and also the need for all Ministers to publish the meetings online. We need transparency around who is lobbying our Ministers and for what they are lobbying.
"McCreevy of course went on to become the European Commissioner for the Internal Market where he continued to push his toxic mantra of deregulation to help destroy the European economy. On leaving the Commission, he then of course has become the arch lobbyist himself, joining several lucrative boardrooms of multinational companies.
"McCreevy was forced to resign from the board of a new banking firm, NBNK Investments, after an EU ethics committee found a conflict of interest with his work as commissioner in charge of financial regulation. This is first time that a former member of the EU executive has had to resign a directorship the 2003 system for overseeing the work of retired commissioners.
"I welcome the promise in the Programme for Government for a register of lobbyists and strong rules on lobbying. I encourage all Ministers to publish online their diaries, as I have myself in the European Parliament."
Further information:
Sample of Minister McCreevy's meetings in 2003
- Developers Treasury Holdings, Jan 27th
- Developer Bernard McNamara, Feb 24th
- Businessman Sean Quinn, June 4th
- NAMA Businessman Philip Lynch, July 24th
- AIB's chief executive Michael Buckley, Sep 18th
- Developer Bernard McNamara, Nov 12th
http://thestory.ie/2012/02/08/minister-for-finance-diary-2003/
http://www.nessachilders.ie/meetings/
http://www.nessachilders.ie/blog/2010/10/06/mccreevy-is-the-reallife-gordon-gekko-of-europe/
http://www.nessachilders.ie/blog/2010/10/05/commission-investigation-of-new-mccreevy-banking-job-welcome/
