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The Untouchables: The people who helped wreck Ireland - and are still running the show by Shane Ross
A devastating new exposé from the bestselling authors of The Bankers and Wasters. In March 2011, the Irish people elected a new government. But how much had really changed? In The Untouchables, Shane Ross and Nick Webb shine a light into dark corners of official Ireland to show that the blame for running the country into the ground goes well beyond Fianna Fáil, and that a dismaying number of the people who should share the blame are still in in the civil service, on the boards of the leading companies, and in the banks, law firms, and consultancies that carry so much influence in deciding who wins and who loses. They name names, trace connections, and show how the untouchables managed to do so much damage, how they got away with it, and how so many of them are still in positions of power and influence in Ireland.
- GenresNonfictionPolitics
Paperback
First published October 1, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 10, 2012
In The Untouchables Shane Ross and Nick Webb examine the individuals in positions of power and influence, and the organisations they work for, who have managed to weather the present crisis in Ireland somewhat better than might be expected. Their principal argument is that the blame for Ireland’s woes extends well beyond politicians and that, despite calamitous failures, most of the architects of the crisis remain in their posts or businesses, and the same mindsets predominate. Precious little reform has taken place, they argue, despite the election promises of Fine Gael and Labour for quick action. Fianna Fáil and the Greens may have paid the price for the disastrous decisions they made in the previous government, but their elite networks, political patronage and poor systems of governance and regulation mean many powerful individuals and vested interests continue to thrive.
Their examination focuses on eight main groups, with a chapter devoted to each (senior civil servants, bankers, lobbyists, quango members, consultants and lawyers, pension fund managers, property developers and professionals, judicary). Their investigative strategy is to scrutinise the careers and networks of particular individuals and the relationships between different institutions (for example, political parties, businesses, government agencies), charting the tangled web of mutually supportive arrangements. In a final chapter they present a directory of the members of Ireland’s golden circle (a number of whom do not appear in the previous chapters).
Across the eight main chapters the weight of evidence Ross and Webb present is damning, leaving the reader in no doubt that there are serious problems of poor practice, conflicts of interest, cronyism and, at times, corruption at play with respect to corporate and institutional governance in Ireland. That said, there are four major shortcomings that somewhat weaken the overall impact.
First, the book assumes a certain level of knowledge of and familiarity with Irish life and politics and lacks contextualisation. There is no introductory chapter that discusses how governance, and corporate governance in particular, or wider political and business cultures, are constituted and operate in Ireland, or how Ireland compares with other countries.
Second, the analysis presented is limited. The material is largely descriptive, documenting various examples of problematic practices and outcomes, with a particular focus on certain individuals and organisations. It thus provides some empirical evidence but doesn’t seek to explain why such situations arise or how power is reproduced structurally. The result is that the narrative rarely extends beyond an indignant list of supposed crimes and perpetrators, rather than seeking to make sense of the condition it portrays.
Third, I say 'supposed crimes' because the evidence presented at times seems to consist of little more than conjecture and insinuation, no doubt for legal reasons. In these cases substantive proof of any wrong-doing or incompetence is assumed to be self-evident.
Fourth, the book fails to set out in detail what needs to happen to remedy the situation described. Ross and Webb might plead that their aim was to identify and report significant issues, not to prescribe solutions. Shane Ross, however, is a TD. It is the job of politicians to formulate and promote policy designed to tackle significant issues. As such, it is not enough to strongly imply that what is needed is transparent due process and better regulation. Instead, it needs to be explicitly detailed, accompanied by a set of specific policy and legislative changes needed to make all citizens touchable and accountable. As such, the book misses an important opportunity to set out a road map for reform.
Despite these shortcomings The Untouchables is a fascinating book that provides a public service in documenting and exposing poor governance and dodgy patronage that maintains the position of powerful individuals and vested interests in spite of their record. It is required reading for anyone interested in how crony capitalism and power work in practice in Ireland.
Their examination focuses on eight main groups, with a chapter devoted to each (senior civil servants, bankers, lobbyists, quango members, consultants and lawyers, pension fund managers, property developers and professionals, judicary). Their investigative strategy is to scrutinise the careers and networks of particular individuals and the relationships between different institutions (for example, political parties, businesses, government agencies), charting the tangled web of mutually supportive arrangements. In a final chapter they present a directory of the members of Ireland’s golden circle (a number of whom do not appear in the previous chapters).
Across the eight main chapters the weight of evidence Ross and Webb present is damning, leaving the reader in no doubt that there are serious problems of poor practice, conflicts of interest, cronyism and, at times, corruption at play with respect to corporate and institutional governance in Ireland. That said, there are four major shortcomings that somewhat weaken the overall impact.
First, the book assumes a certain level of knowledge of and familiarity with Irish life and politics and lacks contextualisation. There is no introductory chapter that discusses how governance, and corporate governance in particular, or wider political and business cultures, are constituted and operate in Ireland, or how Ireland compares with other countries.
Second, the analysis presented is limited. The material is largely descriptive, documenting various examples of problematic practices and outcomes, with a particular focus on certain individuals and organisations. It thus provides some empirical evidence but doesn’t seek to explain why such situations arise or how power is reproduced structurally. The result is that the narrative rarely extends beyond an indignant list of supposed crimes and perpetrators, rather than seeking to make sense of the condition it portrays.
Third, I say 'supposed crimes' because the evidence presented at times seems to consist of little more than conjecture and insinuation, no doubt for legal reasons. In these cases substantive proof of any wrong-doing or incompetence is assumed to be self-evident.
Fourth, the book fails to set out in detail what needs to happen to remedy the situation described. Ross and Webb might plead that their aim was to identify and report significant issues, not to prescribe solutions. Shane Ross, however, is a TD. It is the job of politicians to formulate and promote policy designed to tackle significant issues. As such, it is not enough to strongly imply that what is needed is transparent due process and better regulation. Instead, it needs to be explicitly detailed, accompanied by a set of specific policy and legislative changes needed to make all citizens touchable and accountable. As such, the book misses an important opportunity to set out a road map for reform.
Despite these shortcomings The Untouchables is a fascinating book that provides a public service in documenting and exposing poor governance and dodgy patronage that maintains the position of powerful individuals and vested interests in spite of their record. It is required reading for anyone interested in how crony capitalism and power work in practice in Ireland.
September 19, 2013
Detailed account the small cabal of people who wield immense power in Ireland, often out of the public view and who maintain their positions through insider status and political patronage. The book also effectively details the manner in which they seem able to maintain powerful positions despite often leaving a trail of failure and destruction behind them.
The book is snappily written and very easy to read although occasionally veers into a kind of tabloidism with parts appealing purely to emotion rather than reason in its effort to elicit outrage in the reader.
Where the book falls down however is in its often hodgepodge manner of presentation. At times it reads more like a list of people and positions and feels like it is saying "here is another thing to be outraged by" "and here's another thing" and so on and so on. Many of the sections are not really concerned with the book's subtitle "The people who ruined Ireland". For example while the chapter on the Judiciary is effective in detailing the level of political patronage involved in judicial appointments in Ireland, it would really be more relevant to the book "Insiders" rather than "Untouchables".
Worth a read for the casual reader interested in the background wielding of power in Ireland, but maybe not for those seeking a more serious and in-depth analysis of power structures in Ireland
The book is snappily written and very easy to read although occasionally veers into a kind of tabloidism with parts appealing purely to emotion rather than reason in its effort to elicit outrage in the reader.
Where the book falls down however is in its often hodgepodge manner of presentation. At times it reads more like a list of people and positions and feels like it is saying "here is another thing to be outraged by" "and here's another thing" and so on and so on. Many of the sections are not really concerned with the book's subtitle "The people who ruined Ireland". For example while the chapter on the Judiciary is effective in detailing the level of political patronage involved in judicial appointments in Ireland, it would really be more relevant to the book "Insiders" rather than "Untouchables".
Worth a read for the casual reader interested in the background wielding of power in Ireland, but maybe not for those seeking a more serious and in-depth analysis of power structures in Ireland
January 27, 2013
If this was a work of fiction I would struggle to suspend my disbelief. Another book that all Irish people should read. It's a who's who of the top players in the game of Irish musical chairs aka, Irish politics and business. Ran a bank into the ground? No problem, here's the chair of a large bank "owned" by the taxpayer sof Ireland. Consistently failed to give useful or accurate advice in your area of expertise? No problem, here's the chair of a government quango advising the government on how to address a problem caused in part by your failure to perform in your last job. And a big hand to Ms Vivienne Jupp who on being "interviewed" for the position of chairperson of CIE, our national transport company, she replied that she often used the bus and the DART (light railway) ran near to her house. She got the post. If you are prone to fits of violence when angry do not read this book as it could make you very angry. On second thoughts, perhaps that's what is needed, more anger and less acceptance of a system designed to keep those in power, and their old school friends safe from the dangers of a world they have created.
August 8, 2018
In hindsight of when this book was wrote, Ross is the same as the rest of them.
January 21, 2014
Reads more like a rant than an informant.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews