POLITICAL FUNDING:PRO-HUNTING group Rural Ireland Says Enough (Rise!) has yet to register with the Standards in Public Office Commission (Sipo) as a body receiving political donations, three months after it was first contacted by the State's ethics watchdog.
A spokeswoman for Sipo yesterday confirmed that Rise was not a registered third party, as required under the Electoral Act 1997. She said her understanding was that the group intended to register by the end of the month.
Rise spokesman, Liam Cahill said the group had agreed to register once the person with this responsibility was nominated later this month at an agm of one of its member organisations, the Hunting Association of Ireland (HAI). Mr Cahill attributed the delay to legal issues and said there was no lack of will on the part of Rise to conform to ethics legislation. Under the legislation, any group that accepts political contributions exceeding €126.97 in a year must register with Sipo.
Rise, which has been prominent in the campaign against animal welfare legislation promoted by the Greens, has raised about €100,000 since it was formed last January, according to Mr Cahill.
He said the group planned to return part of a €10,000 donation received from Countryside Alliance Ireland because it exceeded the amount permitted under ethics legislation. This says that third parties may not accept more than €6,348.69 in donations from the same person in any one year. Anonymous donations of over €126.97 are also banned.
Other large donations it has received include €6,000 from the National Association of Rifle and Gun Clubs (NARGC), €6,000 from the Irish Foot Harriers Association, €4,000-€5,000 from the Irish Mounted Harriers and €2,000 from the Tara Harriers. Mr Cahill said no large donations had been received from private individuals.
Rise’s website says it was formed by two groups, the HAI and the Irish branch of Face (Federation of Associations for Hunting and Conservation of the EU). Face comprises a variety of hunting, shooting and fishing groups, including the Irish Coursing Club and NARGC.
Rise is not a registered company and is described by Mr Cahill as a “brand”. Its founders were Mr Cahill, former HAI chairman David Lalor, Face chairman Donal Boyle and Oliver Russell, treasurer of the Ward Union Hunt in Co Meath. The current chairman of HAI, Jim Murphy, has since joined this steering group.
Modelling its approach on similar campaigns by the Countryside Alliance in the UK, Rise has claimed that the stag-hunting ban and dog-breeding legislation currently before the Oireachtas represent the “thin end of the wedge”, threatening traditional country pursuits. It claims 300,000 supporters and says 55,000 people have signed its petition. However, the average turnout at protests is about 200-250.
The group employs two part-time staff in premises in Ashbourne, Co Meath provided by the Ward Union Hunt. The hunt, whose members include developers Johnny Ronan and Michael Bailey, has also provided legal services. Businessman and TV personality Gavin Duffy, a member of the Louth Hunt, has supported Rise in media appearances.
Mr Cahill, a former RTÉ reporter and adviser to former Fianna Fáil minister David Andrews and the Labour Party, says he works up to 20 hours a week on behalf of the group. According to his website, he charges fees of €950 a day.
He said he was “taken aback” to be singled out personally for criticism by Minister for the Environment John Gormley, who has accused Rise of “frightening the living daylights” out of people in rural Ireland. Mr Cahill said Mr Gormley was spending a lot more on public relations advice than was available to his group.
