I have a ‘get out of hell free’ card for our Government on the household charge.

Joan Burton says everyone must pay the household charge.

Minister Phil Hogan has ordered city and county council officials to call on houses demanding payment of the household charge.

Many complaints have been made about the process for paying the household charge — “confusing“, “poor information campaign”, etc.

The Mahon Report is a damning indictment of the culture of corruption and entitlement that has poisoned politics in this state for so long.

As a former member of Fianna Fáil, I was interested to observe the reaction of its leadership and grassroots members in the wake of the Mahon Report.

We now have had the Dirt, Moriarty and now Mahon Tribunal/enquiries to name but a few.

Let me see if I can understand the Mahon Tribunal.

Subsequent to the publication of the Mahon Tribunal report there seems to be a consensus in the media that we knew all along about the venality of the most powerful of our public representatives and the report only confirms that.

During the coming week I am required to pay €100 household charge and €160 TV licence.