Where does this end? May 31, 2016
Posted by WorldbyStorm in Uncategorized.trackback
The news that the Garda Commissioner was not aware of the PAC chairman John McGuinness and her predecessor Martin Callinan is not entirely a surprise. But the entirety of that story is important in regard as to what it suggests about the nature of politics in this state, and not forgetting the fact that McGuinness himself has admitted that:
…his information may have helped the commission’s investigation into whistleblower allegations.
But beyond all that it merely adds to a sense of a sort of systemic malaise. Not that one would feel that there appears to be any great urgency on the part of – shall we say – the traditional parts of the political world to address it. Yet, this story continues to run and run.
The Cedar Lounge Revolution 
I can only put it this way: Callinan and O’Sullivan are deep in poo about this. Whether that will impact on the current Commissioner is doubtful. It’s anybody’s guess.
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Why has this story been hidden in plain sight? It’s a stinker.
Former Garda Commissioner, Martin Callinan secretly met with John McGuinness TD, prior to the appearance of whistleblower, Sergeant Maurice McCabe, who was due to give evidence to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). This was stated under privilege in the Dáil two years after the event. This meeting with Callinan in a car park was a clear attempt to discredit McCabe, who was “not to be trusted and there were serious issues about him”.
McGuinness told RTE Radio that he didn’t mention it two years ago because he wanted to ensure McCabe gave his evidence before the PAC when efforts were being made to stop him. That’s tosh. Knowledge of the car park meeting wasn’t made available to the O’Higgins inquiry either.
Gene Kerrigan tell us: ‘The O’Higgins Commission was led to believe that the two gardai had notes from a 2008 meeting with McCabe in which he confessed that he was motivated in his allegations by a grudge against a senior officer.
As a result, counsel representing Garda Commissioner Noirin O’Sullivan attacked McCabe’s motivation – stating explicitly that he was doing so on O’Sullivan’s instructions.
The alleged evidence of Sgt McCabe’s alleged “confession” would have destroyed the case he was making – a very serious case about Garda failures that were followed by the murder of a member of the public. A case accepted in its essentials by the O’Higgins Report.
McCabe’s reputation and career would have been shredded. It’s conceivable he would have faced a criminal charge. For the rest of his life, knowing he was in the right, he would have lived the nightmare of public disgrace.’
So, without knowledge of the car park meeting, the O’Higgins Commison found McCabe acted out of genuine and legitimate concerns and that he showed courage in performing a public service at considerable personal loss.
But the report also stated that there was not “a scintilla of evidence” to substantiate an allegation of corruption against Callinan.
Never mind that we knew previously that Callinan has stated publicly that for whistleblowers, including McCabe, to bring the controversy about penalty points to public notice was “disgusting”.
But to make matters worse, Callinan went on not only to undermine but to attack a whistleblower who was a safe pair of hands, attempting to put things through due process for years before going public.
And what from the Left? Sinn Féin sought an “immediate response” from Callinan. Mary Lou McDonald said there were “well-founded” reasons for McGuinness not disclosing it at the time. Why? Because “no appetite within the system to have Sgt McCabe appear before the [PAC] committee”. I don’t buy that argument, although Sinn Féin did say the Callinan meeting should have been revealed to the O’Higgins Commission sooner.
Sinn Féin were the first to demand what Commissioner O’Sullivan knew and what was done about it. Clare Daly TD said McGuiness had questions to answer too.
I bet putting this out wasn’t allowed by Fianna Fail. The belated admission by McGuinness was probably done in the belief that it would come out anyway and only after Micheál Martin was adamant he wouldn’t be associated with it. Says a lot, doesn’t it?
Nóirín O’Sullivan has since denied any knowledge of a private meeting between Callinan and McGuinness. She said her instructions were to challenge McCabe’s ‘motivation’ and not his ‘integrity’.
Despite this, ‘According to leaked transcripts of the commission hearings, seen by RTÉ, early in the hearings Mr Smyth had said his “instructions from the commissioner” were “to challenge the integrity . . . of Sgt McCabe’.
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/commissioner-should-be-concerned-about-senior-garda-management-mcdonald-1.2651910
So, senior gardaí stated originally that McCabe told them he had a grudge against some other police officer; hence the accusation of ‘malice’. McCabe saved himself by the fact he made a recording of conversation and no such thing was said. Then the complaint was conveniently withdrawn.
Gene Kerrigan told us: ‘The truth is coming out. No amount of weasel words and sleight of tongue will stop it. Media manipulation hasn’t worked; nor the quiet word in the right ear.’ Not so, it seems to me.
http://www.independent.ie/opinion/columnists/gene-kerrigan/time-to-choose-a-side-truth-or-coverup-34754905.html
What happened to the gardai who created evidence? Maybe there’s an investigation. Don’t know. Cough up the names. Won’t go. And that is that.
To answer the question posted above: ‘Where does this end?’. It finished two or three days after the story broke full stop.
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As someone who for most of my life has been of the “all policemen are dastards” school of thought ,I have to say that this would never be allowed to happen in the North since the RUC was virtually abolished.First of all the chief constable would be savvy enough not to be meeting politicians secretly in hotel car park.Secondly if he did his feet would’nt touch the ground if it became public and any other officer who knew anything about it would be gone too.Policing on this island has reached a point where the North is a million miles ahead in terms of accountability and for someone from my background to admit that is not easy.
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Correct
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Probably always true that. People coming to Dublin from Belfast were often shocked by what Guards got away with. This had more to do with the RUC being closely watched on demos than anything else.
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true and equally true (now – after Lawrence etc.) of most forces on ‘the mainland’. The Gardai are way behind in terms of professionalism and accountability.
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Do you live on Rathlin island?
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I think he’s taking the piss roddy.
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So am I !
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Nice one. Got to agree that used elsewhere the ‘mainland’ is one of the most irritating phrases ever.
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By the way do you not think the term “chief of police” is a more appropriate term than the more suave “commisioner” when dealing with dodgy police forces like the Gardai. During the bad days of the RUC ,radical priest Des Wilson used to write about “chief of police HERRMANN” when descibing chief constable Jack Hermon!
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Mebbe one day we’ll get our very own Commissioner Gordon and all will be right with the city?
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But we’d need Batman too!
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I do like Chief of Police though.
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While political interference and the gardai using journalistic “rent boys” to get their agenda into the public domain are deeply problematic,there is also a side to the force which is “likeable”.Last year Mrs Roddy and myself were on a day out in Carlingford.We came across a funeral and the Guards were there presumably on traffic duty.However only one guard was on the road with the cap pushed far back on his head ,wearing an ill fitting uniform and merely nodding vaguely at traffic as to what direction they should take.Meanwhile his two colleagues were standing at the edge of the mourners joining in the “prayers for the dead”!
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