When YCYC was launched it was hailed as being the great positive initiative that put all the negative people to shame. It seemed to get off to a good start and the people behind it managed to get themselves millions worth of free publicity out of it. They rolled out the free ads on various media and had their celebrity “ambassadors” to lend their hand gratis. They managed to secure donations from various large businesses including AIB and Bank of Ireland which we all know were bailed out by the tax payer. However as time has passed, the cracks have appeared slowly but surely with this competition.
I, Caligula, accuse the organisers of this competition of carrying out a massive fraud on the Irish taxpayers and various private businesses for personal gain. When I say personal gain, I’m not talking necessarily financial gain, but more so personal publicity and kudos.
It is my contention that this competition was set out to be a lobbying group right from the start with no intention of ever using the money garnered from their sources to implement the winning proposals. It’s been their intention from the start to use the money (some of which is tax payers money) to lobby the Government to try and implement the winning ideas.
I’m not one to go around making serious fraud allegations without evidence. I have gathered up the evidence and it is as obvious as the nose on Dustin Hoffman’s face that everything I say is true.
Oxford Dictionary definition of “Fraud”
The main body of evidence comes from the great detective work of the solicitor Simon McGarr of the tuppenceworth blog. Now I know what you’re thinking, aren’t all solicitors assholes? Well yes they are, but this Simon guy seems like a decent old skin, and most importantly as far as I’m concerned is that he wants to know what is being done with hard earned tax payers’ money.
Simon and a member of the steering committee for Your Country Your Call, Ferdinand Von Prondzynski were on Newstalk a number of months ago. This is an extract:
Prof Von Prondzynski: The nature of the winning proposal… won’t itself be a business but rather a process or for example a change in the fiscal or legal or regulatory backdrop which will allow others then, we hope lots of other people to put forward or to start business propositions.
Simon McGarr: Is it your intention to find a policy to lobby the government to change their proposal or policies on the back of?
Prof Von Prondzynski: Yes that would be a quite likely scenario.”
Newstalk 106, Monday 26th April 2010
This is all the evidence that is needed to prove my allegation. Professor Von Prondzynski (with a name like that who could question his Irish patriotism) has admitted straight out that they are a government lobby group. This proves a clear deception in the use of the money. All the vagueness they have spouted out can’t cover this fact up. I don’t think the other organisers figured on the nutty professor to let the cat out of the bag in such a clear manner.
Simon has uncovered various other issues with the competition, most notably the confusion surrounding the €300,000 of tax payers money they have supposedly secured.
My review of the top 21 semi finalists show further evidence of the real intentions of the organisers. What it boils down to is this. A bunch of people spearheaded by a self serving asshole called Padraig McKeon got together and decided it was a good idea to hold a competition where they will get loads of free personal publicity. They wanted to generate €1.2 million in prize money. €100,000 to be given directly to the two winning proposers with another €500,000 going into each of the winning proposals.
The naysayers were asking how the hell could half a million produce the “game changers” they were allegedly looking for. The naysayers were told that they were negative and this competition was all about Ireland and they were being pessimistic assholes (does anyone remember that old saying about patriotism and scoundrels?)
What was unknown to the public was that all this time they had been planning to lobby the government with the money to implement the two winning proposals that may be game changers in theory, but could in no way whatsoever be implemented without the government pumping millions into them. Meanwhile the boys will get their publicity and hold themselves up as the messiahs of this island.
To Padraig McKeon and all the others I have this message, the game is up. One of your steering committee members has admitted straight out that you are nothing more than a lobby group who intend on using tax payers money to lobby the government. It’s pretty sickening to think that you guys are going to use this money on wining and dining various ministers with this money. What’s even more sinister is the very real possibility that you’re going to politely tell the government that if they don’t implement the winning ideas it will look really bad of the government. I can just imagine the headline, “Dithering government refuse to support Your Country Your Call initiative”. It will be right up there with Mary Coughlan letting the 300 potential aircraft maintenance jobs go to Germany.
You have held yourselves up as the great positive people who take action. Well anyone can take action when they’re given loads of tax payers dosh. It’s a fraud, pure and simple. You’ve taken money out of the pockets of tax payers who are on the brink of financial destruction. And then you have the brass neck to climb the flagpole and declare yourselves to be patriotic. Assholes.
Update: The 5 finalists have been announced. Check them out here
Update: The 2 bullshit winners have been announced
Recent Comments