I am going to be ‘pleased in the long’ run am I?

Michael Woods was challenged yesterday to explain the appalling agreement made in 2002 whereby the religious institutions would only be liable for a maximum of €128 million in compensation to the victims of abuse.

At the time of this agreement the religious orders were well aware of the extent of the abuse but lied through their teeth about it.  The government were duped into believing that the numbers of victims were in the low hundreds, rather than high thousands.  They also cleverly played the poverty card and Woods and Ahern were conned into picking up the tab.  This tab now stands in excess of one billion.

If Woods had a shred of decency or honesty, he would have admitted that he was wrong.  But of course, we all know that a politician in this country can never ever admit that they made a mistake.

I was interested to hear what excuse he would come up with.  He was defending the indefensible, but Fianna Fáil are renowned for their ducking and diving.

Sure enough, Woods announced that ‘this generation of Irish people will be very pleased in the long run they they are the very ones who have at least done something to compensate the people`who were so badly treated’.

Holy shit!

Let’s examine this statement.

The abuse was carried out over decades by the religious institutions.  The government were aware of the abuse but did nothing.  So there are two parties to blame.  Seeing as it was the religious who were doing the abusing, they must take the majority of the blame.  If I were a judge, I would say they were at least 90% liable.  Instead of which, they have paid a mere 10% of the damages.

On the non-religious side, who were to blame?  Was it the people of Ireland?  No. Was it the department of education?  Yes.  So where is the compensation coming from?  The people of Ireland!

The government have a long standing failing in that they fail to realise that the money they spend does not belong to them.  It belongs to us.  Not too long ago, I passes a large sign at the side of a motorway announcing that it had been funded by the Irish government for the people of Ireland.  That is symptomatic of the arrogant attitude they have to our money.

So the people of Ireland are paying for the Department of Education’s mistakes?

I don’t begrudge the Survivors their compensation.  But again, Woods is overlooking a vital point.  I don’t think the Survivors are in this for monetary gain?  Correct me if I’m wrong, but I would say it is very important to the Survivors that the compensation is a means to penalise the transgressors.

If there were any justice in all of this, the religious institutions should pay 90% of the compensation, and the rest should be paid out of the party funds of whatever parties were in power during that period.

Of course the religious institutions are now pleading poverty.  The Christian Brothers have moved all their properties into the equivalent of an off-shore company.   If I owe the banks a debt, do they accept a plea of poverty?  No. Of course not.  They pursue me and sell everything I have until the debts are paid off.  And let’s not forget that the Vatican is complicit in all of this, and don’t try and tell me that they are broke?

Am I pleased in the long run?

Fuck you, Woods!