Conflict Of Interests
Entry by: Al's Mam
28th August 2024
Conflict of interests
Sean Montcrief was not a man to suffer fools gladly or as he preferred to say himself lightly.He came from that old stable of trustworthiness reliability and hard work.His mother was a widow and had laboured long and hard with the state company an post She was a postwoma who could be seen regularly around the town of Ballybofey on her black ladies bicycle, her small five foot frame encumbered by a full calf length beige raincoat.She was swaddled in her weatherproofing she liked to remark to people who stopped her for a brief chat on main street.She never in her wildest dreams reckoned on a son who would become the leader of the nation some day.
Fair play was drilled into all her children but especiallly her youngest Sean for whom she had one might say a prevailing fondness, a bit like the westerlies that prevailed upon the town and its environs .Sometimes the wind was benign and had a calming aspect;sometimes it was more fierce but nonetheless always reliable .Her love had that kind of endurance he was to remember as she came back to him today of all days when he stood on the broad granite steps of Leinster house. Amid a welter of press photographers and journalists her slight ghost seemed to tickle his ear mildly, playfuly or was it the ides of March, those fickle winds which had brought him here to ensure that a government head and an oversized one at that was going to roll.
Jack O Leary minister for the environment had been found out at long last as many in the know night have said.Just who leaked what to the media might always remain a mystery but that was beside the point.Today Sean needed the whole country to see justice heaped on a large cold plate of right action with a side salad of integrity. Jack O leary was being asked to step down due to a conflict of interests. His having vested interests in Shannonside development not to mention other semi private agencies for years was an open secret in Daily Eireann. some night say a running sore on the taoiseachs butt. Finally he had his man and he felt the importance of it all strike him cold around the ears as he stood before the press .He wound his grey muffler around him tighter.He cleared his throat Ahem Mr O leary has been asked to step down from his office as minister for the environment due to a conflict of interests. Not having declared his shares with the afore mentioned company he has called into question the highest integrity of this office.
It was lamentable that the semi-state body had been given the tender to carry out extensive hydro repairs and further construction at this time.In due course more tenders would now be considered and by the close of day another minister would occupy the vacant seat.
On turning around he hurried back up the steps and vanished into the interior of the building.It was still early morning and the sunlight had vanished from his office when he stepped inside the door, glad to escape the prying eyes of his private secretary who was a close friend of jack o leary.
He pressed on the desk intercom Michael could you hold all calls please for fifteen minutes or so.He sat back quietly on his swivel chair and turned around to gaze out at the manicured lawns of Leinster house.Today was her anniversary .THAT MUST BE WHY HER IMPISH GHOST WAS TICKING HIM OFF from behind on the steps. But then again was it just that.? She'd been gone this past twenty years.No the memory could not evade him any longer. It willed itself to arrive at the base of his brain
His first year as a young county councillor was a difficult enough birth as he tried to grapple with his civic duties from decisions on town parking to new shopping and residential developments in the immediate area. BUT there was one civic duty he really wished to avoid which was judging the local writing competitions . He had tried to tell the other councilorrs that morning in a strangled tone about his retired mother she was a member of Ballybofey writers group but nobody else could be deployed to the town hall for this purpose it seemed and Hamish O grady the senior councillor had remarked "A nod is as good as a wink to a blind horse young man."
Not wanting to get into bad standing with Hamish who could make or break his reputation he looked over the entries through gritted teeth.He recognised her entry right away without ever looking overleaf. Yes it was her poem alright .She had read it to him only a few night ago and yes it was quite good quite poignant in its way bit was it a worthy winner. His heart sank at the standard of the entries spread across his table. His mothersIS upturned face stood in front of him now and his heart let go of all his moral platitudes.Unhesitatingly he arranged the winning entries from third place up.In first place he placed his mothers entry The Leaving of Monaghan town.
He suddenly smiled to himself at the idea of her joy in winning.she who had never been selected before. His love for her vaulted out of him.Who would ever know about his conflict of interests.
Now he made himself a cup of strong tea and rummaged through the bottom press beneath his desk for some chocolate biscuits. Those were the kind she liked Mcvities chocolate delight .
For a minute a slight hypocrisy engulfed him but things were different for one's mother weren't they
Sean Montcrief was not a man to suffer fools gladly or as he preferred to say himself lightly.He came from that old stable of trustworthiness reliability and hard work.His mother was a widow and had laboured long and hard with the state company an post She was a postwoma who could be seen regularly around the town of Ballybofey on her black ladies bicycle, her small five foot frame encumbered by a full calf length beige raincoat.She was swaddled in her weatherproofing she liked to remark to people who stopped her for a brief chat on main street.She never in her wildest dreams reckoned on a son who would become the leader of the nation some day.
Fair play was drilled into all her children but especiallly her youngest Sean for whom she had one might say a prevailing fondness, a bit like the westerlies that prevailed upon the town and its environs .Sometimes the wind was benign and had a calming aspect;sometimes it was more fierce but nonetheless always reliable .Her love had that kind of endurance he was to remember as she came back to him today of all days when he stood on the broad granite steps of Leinster house. Amid a welter of press photographers and journalists her slight ghost seemed to tickle his ear mildly, playfuly or was it the ides of March, those fickle winds which had brought him here to ensure that a government head and an oversized one at that was going to roll.
Jack O Leary minister for the environment had been found out at long last as many in the know night have said.Just who leaked what to the media might always remain a mystery but that was beside the point.Today Sean needed the whole country to see justice heaped on a large cold plate of right action with a side salad of integrity. Jack O leary was being asked to step down due to a conflict of interests. His having vested interests in Shannonside development not to mention other semi private agencies for years was an open secret in Daily Eireann. some night say a running sore on the taoiseachs butt. Finally he had his man and he felt the importance of it all strike him cold around the ears as he stood before the press .He wound his grey muffler around him tighter.He cleared his throat Ahem Mr O leary has been asked to step down from his office as minister for the environment due to a conflict of interests. Not having declared his shares with the afore mentioned company he has called into question the highest integrity of this office.
It was lamentable that the semi-state body had been given the tender to carry out extensive hydro repairs and further construction at this time.In due course more tenders would now be considered and by the close of day another minister would occupy the vacant seat.
On turning around he hurried back up the steps and vanished into the interior of the building.It was still early morning and the sunlight had vanished from his office when he stepped inside the door, glad to escape the prying eyes of his private secretary who was a close friend of jack o leary.
He pressed on the desk intercom Michael could you hold all calls please for fifteen minutes or so.He sat back quietly on his swivel chair and turned around to gaze out at the manicured lawns of Leinster house.Today was her anniversary .THAT MUST BE WHY HER IMPISH GHOST WAS TICKING HIM OFF from behind on the steps. But then again was it just that.? She'd been gone this past twenty years.No the memory could not evade him any longer. It willed itself to arrive at the base of his brain
His first year as a young county councillor was a difficult enough birth as he tried to grapple with his civic duties from decisions on town parking to new shopping and residential developments in the immediate area. BUT there was one civic duty he really wished to avoid which was judging the local writing competitions . He had tried to tell the other councilorrs that morning in a strangled tone about his retired mother she was a member of Ballybofey writers group but nobody else could be deployed to the town hall for this purpose it seemed and Hamish O grady the senior councillor had remarked "A nod is as good as a wink to a blind horse young man."
Not wanting to get into bad standing with Hamish who could make or break his reputation he looked over the entries through gritted teeth.He recognised her entry right away without ever looking overleaf. Yes it was her poem alright .She had read it to him only a few night ago and yes it was quite good quite poignant in its way bit was it a worthy winner. His heart sank at the standard of the entries spread across his table. His mothersIS upturned face stood in front of him now and his heart let go of all his moral platitudes.Unhesitatingly he arranged the winning entries from third place up.In first place he placed his mothers entry The Leaving of Monaghan town.
He suddenly smiled to himself at the idea of her joy in winning.she who had never been selected before. His love for her vaulted out of him.Who would ever know about his conflict of interests.
Now he made himself a cup of strong tea and rummaged through the bottom press beneath his desk for some chocolate biscuits. Those were the kind she liked Mcvities chocolate delight .
For a minute a slight hypocrisy engulfed him but things were different for one's mother weren't they
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