12.14.05
McDowell is out of the woods
Dave said “It’ll all be forgotten in a week and the media will be gutted because they’ll have failed in their attempt to get McDowell removed.”
I decided that Dave is half right. This will all be forgotten in a week. But not because “the media” have failed. I woke up this morning and realised that the storm has passed. The IT puts the story back on the front page, headlining McDowell’s claim that the CPI would have been used to undermine the state. RTE have pushed it way down their stories. Irish Ferries will lead for today (and the ending of the strike is great news). The only person who kept chasing it was Eamon Dunphy who did a second special programme on it this morning on Newstalk. As per yesterday he only diverted from this story to discuss Roy Keane. From all other media outlets and politicians a consensus has emerged. Connolly is guilty. Stuff him.
But isn’t it interesting that Ivor Callely had to go because he couldn’t keep a secretary and over 10 years ago a company did £1500 worth of painting for him? The Minister for Justice leaks garda documents on a political enemy and he gets away with it. If the Minister is so convinced he had a right to let the people know then why didn’t he stand up in the Dail and say it instead of leaking it and then providing the information in a written answer so the Ceann Comhairle couldn’t intervene. He’s the eminent barrister, I am sure he could have argued his case with that doddery fool O’Hanlon.
Well, if everyone thinks that what McDowell did was kosher, name and shame a guy when you haven’t enough evidence to charge him, well then let’s go with it. The cops are convinced they have their suspect in the Rachel O’Reilly case, but damnit, they just can’t prove it. Let’s give that file to the Evening Herald. I’m sure there are plenty more cases of unprovably guilty people whose lives we’d love to ruin. I can’t wait till I’m Minister. I’ll spend the first month leafing through the files and faxing out titbits to my former colleagues in the Sunday Times. We’ll have a great name and shame party.
Colman said,
December 14, 2005 at 11:03 am
McDowell doesn’t have to go: the PDs won’t have it and FF can’t force the issue without killing the coalition. Right or wrong has nothing to do with it.
John of Dublin said,
December 14, 2005 at 4:03 pm
It’s all grotesque, unbelievable, bizarre and unprecedented!
BTW have you or your readers spotted the plan for Blogger’s informal drink next Tuesday see CRIMBO UPDATE – comments at http://www.thinkingoutloud.biz/ Maybe spread the word. I’m thinking of going.
How I heard was indirectly following comments from “that girl” posted on my “The Sea” Review – actually Sinead threw in a few comments for yourself so you might want to dip back http://earthanduniverse.blogspot.com
Dave said,
December 14, 2005 at 4:44 pm
Wait a second when did this sudden trend of being unable to say something about someone unless you could charge them thing happen. Am I to assume you think CJ Haughey is a good and innocent man because he’s never been convicted of anything.
Will you in future only be accusing people of doing things when they’ve been convicted of the offense you’re accusing them of?
Sarah said,
December 14, 2005 at 8:24 pm
“when did this sudden trend of being unable to say something about someone unless you could charge them thing happen”
Now Dave, that is not what this is about. Its not about “saying something”. Its about handing documents from Garda Files to a journalist. When I said “name and shame” I meant name alleged criminals using evidence from Dept. of Justice files which are confidential.
Interesting that you quote CJ. Charlie Haughey WAS charged with a crime. He got off because Mary Harney told the world he should get jail and the case collapsed. Now he can never be convicted.
btw, neither can Connolly now.
simon said,
December 14, 2005 at 11:30 pm
Wait a second when did this sudden trend of being unable to say something about someone unless you could charge them thing happen. Am I to assume you think CJ Haughey is a good and innocent man because he’s never been convicted of anything.
precisly my point on the situation. It is just a double standard. It was in the countries interest to know. Just as it is in the countries interest to know Gerry adams is on the IRA Council. (he has never been convicted of membership even)
my thoughts
http://dossing.blogspot.com/2005/12/double-standards-for-mcdowell.html
Caoimhe said,
December 15, 2005 at 1:50 am
You are greatly misguided if you think McDowell has done this for the ‘country’s interest’….his personal vandetta has all but consumed him to the point where he’s prepared to play with a person’s constitutional rights in order to gain one-upmanship…
Are you not at all suspect of the method he chose for disclosure…
If the Minister is so convinced he had a right to let the people know then why didn’t he stand up in the Dail and say it instead of leaking it
Can you answer that question or are as blinded by the IRA issue as he is?
Can you also clarify for me what immediate serious threat this man poses to the State? Lets be clear, I’m far from an IRA supporter but I’m at an absolute loss to understand the national threat McDowell keeps using as his defence…
He won’t go because of the reasons Coleman outlined….not because of right or wrong, simply because of numbers….thats what makes accountablility in our Government such a hit and miss affair…
Niall said,
December 15, 2005 at 6:46 pm
It’s a damn sad day when the Minister for Justice circumvents the legal process and leaks confidential Garda information to a single commercial news source in order to target a political enemy.
Frankie is probably guilty as sin, but what threat did he pose? Due process exists for a purpose. McDowell has set a dangerous precedent.
And let’s not forget, he played favourites with the Indo. How likely are they to bite the hand that feeds them such juicy tid-bits?
Michael Hennigan said,
December 16, 2005 at 11:41 am
I watched the Dail webcast of McDowell’s statement last Tuesday and he would not go beyond the one-line charge. He was like a prosecutor in a show trial.
How can anyone be smug about a system where a partisan politician has access to police files and can use the information without any safeguards?
In 1997, Dermot Ahern, Foreign Affairs Minister, termed Connolly “a dangerous bastard” because he had exposed his buddy Ray Burke, as corrupt. So there was also an agenda to destroy the “self-appointed” watchdog, the Centre for Public Inquiry.
As to using Garda files, without a court process, anyone who thinks this is okay, should think about chartered accountant Frank Shortt – set-up by renegade gardai, imprisoned and his business ruined. The terrorism of the McBreatry family went on for years.
Does an issue like that have to occur abroad against Irish citizens, before people wake up?
Nettie said,
December 24, 2005 at 9:46 pm
Can’t believe that you actually said that the Evening Herald should persecute the person who MAY or MAY NOT have been responsible for Rachel O’Reilly’s murder!!Just because the Gardai THINK that this person is the killer,it dosen’t actually mean that he is!!If he is,then he’ll be found out eventually,no-one is that clever that they can get away with murder,least of all someone who would have been under suspicion from the offset anyway.If the person under suspicion(and let’s face,we all know his name!)was guilty,I’m sure he would’ve been charged by now.I mean,you only have to look at the McBrearty case to realise that the Gardai don’t always play by the rules.It might just be the case(or may NOT be)that the Gardai are wrong in this case.By naming this man publicly as the killer,minister McDowell may not just be vilifing a man who is quite possibly innocent,he may also be responsible for the collapse of any case against him if he IS in fact guilty.As justice minister,Mr Mcdowell should be more carefull and start leading by example.If he doesn’t then I’m afraid that he should go!
Sarah said,
December 24, 2005 at 10:33 pm
“Just because the Gardai THINK that this person is the killer,it dosen’t actually mean that he is!!”
that’s my whole point! just because something is in a a garda file, doesn’t make it true. That’s why what McDowell did is so wrong. But, an awful lot of people seem to agree with him. So that’s why I am saying, let’s test his logic on other cases and see where we end up. In a right mess.