The President of the Workers’ Party, Michael Finnegan, has said that the resignation of Minister Alan Shatter does not, as the government may hope, draw a line in the sand in relation to public concerns regarding the administration of justice in this country.
“Alan Shatter was an arrogant Minister in a government which has made arrogance its main hallmark”, said Mr. Finnegan. “The report of the partial inquiry by Mr. Sean Guerin S.C. is a damning indictment, not only of Mr. Shatter but of the close relationship between the leadership of An Garda Siochána and the executive”.
“The fact that a Minister could obtain information at will about a private individual, whether member of the Oireachtas or otherwise, and use it under Dáil privilege to smear a political opponent, shows a seriously compromised system”, said the Workers Party President.
Mr. Finnegan said that what was needed now was not a narrow inquiry into the relationship between the Minister and Garda Commissioner but a root and branch inquiry into a broad range of irregularities and question marks over the way policing in this country has been politically controlled. This should include issues such as the policing of the Corrib Gas dispute and the anti-working class bias which runs deep in sections of the force.
In conclusion, Mr. Finnegan said that the exit of Alan Shatter did not absolve the Government of criticism in this matter. “Enda Kenny and Eamon Gilmore defended Alan Shatter right to the bitter end even though he was compromised on a whole range of fronts. Their trenchant support for Mr. Shatter exposes their own attitude on these issues and it is a very disturbing attitude”, said Michael Finnegan.