BERTIE ON BERTIE
“Politics is rough, tough, hard. And it’ll never be any other way. And you’ll never get the views and the policies you would like to see done. There’s far too many compromises and gains, you have too many things with you.
“And there’s too many knockers, too many people looking for holes in what you do. I don’t see myself doing it forever. If you ask me, would I like to be here in 10, in 15 years’ time, I think I would have to say no.”
“I have to remind myself to polish the shoes and straighten the tie. I am just not into that... I am not interested in wealth. Once I can walk over there, have a few jars, talk to the guys, go down to Tolka and Croker, that makes me happy.”
“My affection for Manchester United dates back to my earliest days when, as a young lad kicking a ball around the streets of Drumcondra, I used pretend to be Liam Whelan.”
“When I was 13 I won a national essay competition run by Bord Bainne. The subject was ‘When I am Taoiseach’.
“I wanted to change the world and I believed that whoever was Taoiseach could do anything he wanted. I have learned a thing or two since then.”
“As kids, my brothers and I always wore anoraks. That’s what we could afford at the time. That was yesterday.”
“Who would have thought that an ordinary guy from Drumcondra could get this far? Who wants to have islands, helicopters and boats? I am just happy going to Croker.”
“I see myself with the ability God gave to me — good, bad or indifferent — and I work hard at it, just graft away. I don’t consider myself any more complex than that.
“Actually, I am a very uncomplex person. ”
“All of the fundraising for Fianna Fáil in the constituency of Dublin Central is handled by the trustees and I do not get involved.
“Both I and FF abide by all the of the regulations governing party political fundraising and comply with disclosure requirements also.”
“We’ve made a difference to ordinary people’s lives and it gives me great satisfaction. We have every reason for confidence in the future.”
“I have advisers and handlers. I am the devil’s own for escaping them. They work hard on me and I cut loose... People say how do you do all those things if you are not in your office. I would spend 60 hours a week at my office.
“I have dedicated my whole life to it, probably too much. A lot of my friends would say that... If you are at a match and have a pint , they are say ‘You must be off all the time’. That’s my only enjoyment outside politics. I have a jar and I go to a football game.”
“I was not impoverished when I was going through the separation, it was a very dark period for me and very sad period for me... I don’t like giving details of the children but for completeness, I did that.
I also had to pay off other bills, so the money I’d saved was gone. So my friends knew that. I had no house, so they decided to try and help me.”
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