Political conduct - Yet another despairing indictment

POLITICIANS who aspire to the high moral ground as the elected leaders of society frequently end up to their backsides in quicksand — especially in these turbulent times when public patience with the behaviour of the political classes has run out.

In yet another glaring example of politicians shooting themselves in the collective foot, it has come to light that a number of TDs who were stranded abroad last April when flights were suspended during the volcanic ash debacle caused by the eruption of Eyjafjallajoekull in Iceland, have since claimed they were in the Dáil at the time — even though they were clearly out of the country.

Worryingly, the Dáil attendance record was altered to facilitate the claims of the TDs concerned. Rightly or wrongly, the public perception is that the change was made so they could claim expenses under a new clocking-in system, an allegation rejected by the four deputies.