Elaine Byrne has some of her own points to raise with the Justice Mininster:
1. The Taoiseach told the IrishTimes that Mr Shatter has his “100 per cent support” for disclosing the information.
2. Enda Kenny had a different view in the Dail on 13 Dec 2005 during the Michael McDowell / Frank Connelly episode.
3.To quote from Enda Kenny’s questioning of the then Taoiseach about leaking of confidental info by then Minister for Justice.
4. “Were the Taoiseach & other members of the Cabinet & Gov made aware that the Minister for Justice intended to leak information deliberately..”
5. It should not be necessary for a Minister, particularly Minister for Justice, to deliberately leak information to a sole journalist…”
6. “Does the Taoiseach agree that… the method chosen by the Minister for Justice, is not in keeping with the integrity of his office?”
7. Hypocrisy is the practice of claiming to have moral standards or beliefs to which one’s own behaviour does not conform.
8. From that same Dail debate in 2005, Labour’s Pat Rabbitte’s contribution is worth repeating. Has the Minister made any comment, yet?
9. Rabbitte: “What I want to know is whether the Taoiseach stands over the untrammelled & unreviewable use of executive power… to leak a document”
More here.
Previously: Shatter Proof
(TV3)
