Bertie’s foot-dragging leaves him out of step with other politicians

WE have had in Ireland a government that, by any standard, was the most corrupt in modern European history.

Tue, 10 Feb, 2004 - 00:00

Fergus Finlay is a former political activist and adviser to three governments, the former head of the children's charity Barnardos, a writer and a broadcaster.

The head of that government and one of its most senior members have already been publicly disgraced. Half a dozen of the backbenchers who supported it have had the most serious questions to answer about sleaze. One of its loudest and most articulate members is now accused of involvement in systematic tax evasion trying in the process not just to hide a "political donation" from his party and the world, but also seeking to evade the tax he should have paid once he decided to regard it as his own.

I'm talking about the minority Fianna Fáil government of 1987-1989. Led by Charles Haughey, with Burke and Flynn among its most prominent members.