Ireland still under the influence
Fine Gael strategist Frank Flannery was effectively paid from the public purse to influence government policy, writes Elaine Byrne.
I'm bad enough of a bastard and tough enough to make really unpopular decisions was Frank Flannery's assessment of himself as a senior Fine Gael strategist for almost 40 years.
This off-the-cuff remark at the 2012 MacGill Summer School was accompanied by a speech entitled ''Political Corruption is not just about Brown Envelopes. It was a great speech.
To a rapt audience in Glenties, Co Donegal, Flannery defined corruption as the ''inappropriate use ...