NOTHING has depressed Drapier more, for many a long year, than the antics of the Sunday Tribune when it carried out a telephone poll of Dail deputies as to whether or not they (or indeed their spouses) availed of the tax amnesty.
Some readers may have a view that such a question is entirely valid and should be answered by a member. They may be right but what depresses Drapier is more the lengths to which the media go in order to "get a story
It was more the invasive attitude of the paper and its journalists which depressed Drapier than the particular issue in question. Having said that, there are quite legitimate reasons why a member should not be obliged to reveal something which in itself is confidential.
Drapier wonders are we, but particularly are our families, not entitled to some privacy? As it is, we are required to list out virtually all that we own in a Register of Members' Interests. Now, apparently, we are obliged to divulge our tax affairs and those of our families. Drapier thought that Eoin Ryan hit the nail on the head when he stated it was pure "voyeurism".
While Drapier congratulates those of his colleagues who stood up to the pressure from the journalists, he must admit that he was caught on the hop and answered no to the question without thinking, when he got the call.
If he had more time to think about it he would have most definitely refused to respond. Drapier is now aware that quite a number of deputies who are put into the category of "refusing to disclose" did not speak to any journalist but merely did not return the call.
Drapier is tiring of this whole game and is rightly fed up with the political correctness that is being rammed down our throats. The expression "he who is without sin, let him cast the first stone" springs to mind.
Drapier just wonders did any of Mall Cooper's Sunday Tribune colleagues avail of the tax amnesty?
Repeated efforts by Oireachtas members to find out information regarding the salaries of RTE personalities have come to a halt "in the sand". Even John Bowman on Questions & Answers last Monday declined to reveal his affairs and merely stated "that they would not make good reading".
Drapier is sure that it would make a hell of a lot better reading that the personal affairs of the vast majority of TDs.
COMMENT from politicians on Michael Lowry's detailed account to the audience of his peers just before Christmas has been fairly muted. However, Drapier gets the impression that this is merely the calm before the storm.
The PDs particularly are smarting over the personal vilification of Michael McDowell and Drapier can warn readers to expect sparks to fly.
While Fianna Fail has tended to be restrained regarding Lowry's position, it is making no bones about the fact that, if Fine Gael is to have him on the ticket in the forthcoming election, Fianna Fail sees that as a major advantage.
On the other hand, the smile might be wiped off the Fianna Fail faces if more details emerge from the Price Waterhouse Report. They cannot afford to be too smug.
IT WAS a "one for everyone in the audience" Budget. It had been so well leaked (or guessed) that the whole affair was one big damp squib. The excitement of yesteryear is long gone.
For the last five or six years there has been little or no buzz around the place. There was absolutely no speculation about what would or would not be in the Budget but the main speculation centred on whether it would give some indication as to the date of the election.
Much of this week's comment among members centred on the possibilities in this regard. Drapier is as much in the dark as anyone else regarding the date, but most believe that it will happen before the summer break with the hot money on June.
If the Government is to call the election well before June, it may very well make the Opposition's worst nightmare come true. The good news apart from the Budget, has been coming thick and fast in the last number of weeks and would lead one to believe that the election "/ill come sooner rather than later.
THE reaction to the Budget from the main components of the new social partnership agreement, Partnership 2000, was predictable.
Ruairi Quinn gave a predictably confident rendition of his speech and the Labour people were holding their heads quite high.
The Fine Gael people did not have the usual spring in the step that a major Government party would have, mainly due to the fact, as one Fine Gael source stated, that the Budget was "a Labour one". John Bruton, when he dealt with the tobacco and petrol increases in the Chamber, wasn't in his usual bullish form.
Both Charlie McCreery and Michael McDowell did fairly well. They concentrated on what they saw was the inflationary aspect, mainly in the hope that the financial experts would pay attention.
All in all, the Budget was a fair one but Drapier just wonders if it was too fair in that what Ruairi Quinn tried to do was to spread the money over too large a group. Drapier thinks that the social welfare increases, taking into account all the pre Budget hype, may very well be a disappointment. A £3 increase in a personal rate isn't dramatic by any manner of means. Drapier heard a comment that both the social welfare recipient and lower PAYE payer could have done much better and he feels there is some justification in this.
It is quite obvious that Labour is going big time to try to placate the middle classes in order to retrieve lost ground. Drapier is not sure if the Budget will be sufficient. While the tax elements were generous, the petrol and the stamp duty rises were quite stark.
Generally, the place had an election feel. The body language and the comments around the House confirm this.
In the meantime, the pre election posturing continues. Drapier has noticed a plethora of election type statements issuing from all parties. Proinsias De Rossa and Mary Harney started off the week on Sunday's This Week each setting out their store. Very quickly the demonising of Michael McDowell reached a crescendo and Drapier overhead a number of deputies wishing aloud that the same would happen to them so that they could be guaranteed a return in their own constituency.
This type of attack upon a politician has proven in the past to be counter productive and Drapier thinks it will be no different this time. Drapier envisages that the Government TDs, particularly Labour, may very well back off.
Quite a number of Drapier's colleagues have been laid low but it was nice to see Jim Mitchell returning for the vote on Budget night. Drapier wishes Jim and the rest a speedy recovery. While he is at it Drapier would also like to wish the same to his old friend Charlie Haughey. {CORRECTION} 97012100005