Danger Establishment will Learn Noting From Troy- Tóibín
Aontú Leader and Meath West TD has stated that there is a danger that the establishment will learn nothing from the Robert Troy Debacle.
“I welcome the resignation of Robert Troy. But I worry that once the media cycle moves on nothing will be done. There must be consequences and accountability for actions within the political system for there to be a change of culture. I believe there was a reluctance on behalf of Mícheal Martin and the Tánaiste to do anything on this as there is a fear that there may be other FF and FG TDs who are landlords who have not declared their interests and assets clearly. Each political party should carry out an audit of their TDs, make sure they are compliant and make it public”.
“The law needs to be changed also. Conflicts of Interests must be declared. Liabilities or debts should be disclosed. There must be a penalty for none compliance and inaccurate declarations. SIPO should also have the ability to investigate to breeches in ethics rules by former TDs and Senators. In 2019 former Fine Gael TD Dara Murphy while claimed Dáil salary and expenses without attending Leinster House. He resigned and SIPO had no powers to investigate it”.
“A TD cannot serve two masters. A TD should be driven by the motivation to help all their constituents. If a TD has a large property portfolio he or she will also be motivated to maximise their rental profits. There is no doubt that this perspective colours their decisions in the Dail”.
“I am not saying that TDs cant be a Landlord. The often transitory nature of being a TD means that citizens with property should not be precluded from being a TD. But in society in general 1 in 50 people are landlords. In the Dáil nearly one third of TDs are Landlords and nearly half of Senators are Landlords. On the other side of the equation I doubt many TDs are tenants”.
“The Dáil should be as representative as possible. Its clearly not in these terms in the middle of the largest housing crisis that the state has ever seen. I am a big fan of TDs having real life experience before they are elected. But TDs once elected should be where possible, full time TDs. Its not good practice for a TD to have numerous other financial interests. Political parties through their own selection processes can help develop good practice in this area”.
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