Haughey's Forty Years of Controversy (39 page)

Charisma, in its proper sense, is often confused with charm or popularity. A politician with real charisma possesses a kind of superhuman quality in the estimation of his admirers. Thus, it is not a quality that someone necessarily possesses but rather a perception in the minds of others. Haughey's charisma was based on his ability to survive a whole series of political scandals and escape from tight, seemingly inescapable, political corners. The perception of his personal invincibility was tarnished, perhaps irrevocably, by the disclosures that he had misappropriated money intended for Fianna Fáil and for Brian Lenihan's operation

He was facing charges of obstructing the McCracken tribunal, and he was exposed as having evaded a considerable amount of tax at a time when his government was extracting exorbitant taxes from the Irish people. Moreover, his financial adviser, Des Traynor was not only facilitating Charlie to evade tax, he organised a massive tax evasion scheme to facilitate a kind of golden circle that included many of Haughey's associates and financial supporters..

Throughout his career, Charlie confounded his critics and bucked the system. He may well be remembered as the greatest bucker of all time, but he was well and truly exposed in retirement. His enemies seemed to gloat with a sense of vindication, but they were part of the problem. Instead of seeking the truth, they were more intent on destroying Haughey politically. He survived because they were just playing politics.

John Healy really captured the essence behind Charlie's survival when he noted that Haughey was as ‘blessed with his enemies as he is cursed with his friends.'

In the end, Haughey probably destroyed his political legacy. It was a great pity, because he was unquestionably a very talented politician.

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