Money may or may not be the root of all evil, but if you’re a politician you probably should treat it with all the care you might give a ticking parcel. As I write, this is being clearly shown on both sides of the Irish Sea.
In Westminster, Tory MP Nadhim Zahawi says he made “a careless mistake” when he didn’t pay £5 million to the taxman. If you can stop laughing long enough at that one, there’s more: Zahawi was Chancellor of the Exchequer at the time. And to cap it, there now is the possibility that he’s lied to the British prime minister, which, if proved, means he’s toast.
On this side of the Irish Sea we’re much humbler and small-scale. Even as I type, Fine Gael TD Paschal Donohoe is getting ready to stand up in the Dail and explain a few things. Such as the fact that he didn’t report that a millionaire friend had funded over €1,000 for putting posters up in 2016. The millionaire in question, Michael Stone (no, not that one, Virginia), was appointed chairman of the Dublin North Inner City Implementation Board and made a director of the Land Development agency. And, although perfectly legal, it’s worth noting that in in 2020, millionaire Stone bought five fund-raising tickets worth €334 from Paschal, and in 2021 he bought tickets worth €1,382 from Paschal.
Paschal could do without this hassle. He’s on the brink of a splendid career in Europe, having been made chairman of Eurogroup, which is made up of finance ministers from countries which use the euro.
Compared to Zahawi’s £5 million, Paschal’s puny €1,000 + looks like bird-seed. But what was that thing in Luke’s gospel? Ah yes:
“Whoever can be trusted with small things can also be trusted with big things. Whoever is dishonest in little things will be dishonest in big things too.” (Luke 16: 10-14)
Of course we need to remember, there’s no question of dishonesty here. Just two politicians, one in London and one in Dublin, who forgot stuff and/or made a mistake. Nothing to see here, would yis move along there pu-lease!
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