Senator Ivor Callery has cost the taxpayer €81,000 for overnight costs and travel expenses since he was elected to the Seanad in 2007. The amount was uncovered as a result of a Freedom of Information request by some news paper or other.

Though he has a ‘home’ and office  in Dublin, he claimed his expenses from his ‘residence’ (holiday home) which is in Kilcrohane in West Cork,  a distance of 360km from Dublin. He stopped claiming from this ‘residence’ during the latter part of last year.

Politicians’ expenses are now available for all to see …. starting from March 2010. Amazingly enough Mr. Callely didn’t claim anything for March and April 2010. He actually gave back €3,987 in March because he ‘wished his expenses and allowances to reflect his actual spending’.

The Taoiseach demanded a full written explanation from him but he made a personal statement in the Seanad that he wanted to go before the select Committee on Members’ Interests to explain himself.

This would suit him …. the committee usually meets in private.

This is the same man who lost his job as a junior transport minister in 2005 because the painting of the Senator’s ‘home’ in Clontarf was paid for by a construction company – a vested interest.

Senator Callely is confident that he will clear his name as he believes he has complied with regulations.

Mr. Callery clearly rode the system to ensure that he could take full advantage of it.

In my book his actions warrant his immediate removal from office.

In all probability he’ll just get a slap on the wrist and all will merrily carry on as normal.

I see we have attained the distinction of having the dirtiest city in Ireland!

(I guess we can’t sing ‘Beautiful City …. my home by the Lee’ anymore? We could try ‘Pollutiful City, green and so smelly, pollutiful City my home by the green Lee’. We’d have a devil of a time getting the words to rhyme but what the hey it’s worth a piece of paper!)

Poor old Cobh is the dirtiest town in Ireland …. must be all that slag and pollution in the harbour etc. I don’t see John Gormley running to clean it up. Only guy with guts to stand up to him was John Mulvihill Snr.

Cavan is named the cleanest place in Ireland ….. where?

Galway comes second.

Celebration time …. Limerick is litter free! Woo hoo to them and rat-a-tat!

Waterford has no litter either ….

They must be shipping it to Cork!

Dublin has the ‘rare auld’ occurance of litter at ‘times’ …..  being moderately littered.