Read more - Former Irish leader Bertie Ahern hides in a cupboard in new TV ad - SEE VIDEO
Former Prime Minister Bertie Ahern has told a Polish newspaper that he can “only blame himself” that he did not insist on keeping strict control over banks and financial institutions. He warned Poland not to do what Ireland did.
“This is fundamental,” he told Rzeczpospolita , one of Poland’s biggest daily newspapers, in an interview.
“If I had known this before 2008, Ireland wouldn’t have suffered. I can blame only myself.
“There were problems with Japanese banks, Turkish ones.
“However until it happened here no one wanted to believe that our institutions were similarly endangered.”
However Ahern said he does not feel responsible for what happened to the Irish economy and what the banks did.
“Practically, as politicians, we don’t have any control over them. The Central Bank reports but only what it wants to report.
“My mistake was to put too much trust into what the financial people were doing.
“But who would suppose that people in such responsible positions, of huge experience, committed such culpable mistakes and didn’t exercise self-control?”
Ahern accepted that the property market got out of control: “I agree . . . that we were building too much; we believed that there would be buyers of properties forever . . . It was a mistake on our side. But if not for the collapse of Lehman Brothers, which in my opinion became a catalyst [for] the Irish crisis, we would have two to three years to face the problem.
“Due to the crash in the US we had to face the reality unexpectedly.”
Ahern said not spending so recklessly was not an option during the height of the Celtic Tiger.
“From each side, from each politician, I heard constantly ‘spend, spend’ . . . I was criticized all the time that I spent too little.
“If I had cut spending they would have crucified me.”
He also admitted he was thinking of running for president in 2011.
“I am thinking about this. Now, it’s only an idea, but I wonder about running in the presidential elections.
“Still, I have a lot of time to think about this; the election is not until 2011.”
Read more - Former Irish leader Bertie Ahern hides in a cupboard in new TV ad - SEE VIDEO
6 Comments
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.paddypower | Oct 29, 2010, 09:48 AM EDT
Politicians are all the same breed of rat. But at least Bertie knows that mistakes were made due to the natural corruption of the scum like himself that always manages to get elected, wherever it may be. Now that Blair mass murderer is at completely different level of rat evolution! But then so typical of this shyster Ahearn after his half assed mea culpa comes the whopper "I'm thinking of running for president". No shame in the cute oul basturd. President Bertie....geez i wanna gag!
Dublinjas | Oct 29, 2010, 06:37 AM EDT
Bertie doesn't give a Rats he still has his gargle on the bridge in Drumcondra and has his luxury house off Griffith ave his chauffeur driven car his huge indexed pension for life etc, Who are the mugs ?? Fatboy Cowen will be the same, Bankrupt the country fill the Nation with foreign spongers who all want to be lord mayors and councilors the first week they arrive, Never to leave again and bring in thirty or forty cousins. and how do we punish Cowen we give him a huge pension for life..
plasticpaddy | Oct 28, 2010, 06:01 PM EDT
He should, he and Haughey are of the same ilk - Bertie was treasurer of FF when Haughey stole so much money. Bertie is and always has been a conman.
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antoman | Oct 28, 2010, 09:42 AM EDT
I'd be laughin to if I asked for a mug of tae and was handed a dolls cup.
antoman | Oct 28, 2010, 09:35 AM EDT
The cup in the photo represents Ireland,and Bertie is laughing at us :)