Get me The Commish!

[Justice Minister Alan Shatter arriving at government buildings, Merrion Street this morning to brief the cabinet on the whistleblower/GSOC crisis.]

Over the last month, we’ve seen a glimpse of what it’s like to live in an autocracy. In a functioning democracy, the raising of allegations of misconduct within the Garda would be given a kind of rueful welcome.

Rueful because, of course, the reputation of their police force matters greatly to most Irish people. But welcome nonetheless because we’ve all learned the hard way that the best approach to maintaining the reputation of an institution is to be open about its failings. In an autocracy, on the other hand, any suggestion that a key institution has serious problems cannot be entertained.

… Running through all the individual responses has been the classic autocratic delusion: we know for a fact that everything is fine and it follows that anyone suggesting otherwise is stupid, ill-intentioned or both. Their motives must be impugned: Sgt McCabe is insubordinate; GSOC is paranoid and foolish; the Committee on Public Accounts is impertinent. There is even a hint of the autocratic desire to airbrush the historic record: Oliver Connolly, the Garda confidential recipient, had to be fired because he would not “repudiate” statements he had made, apparently in good faith, to Sgt McCabe. Perhaps Comrade Connolly might be invited to a self-criticism session? This is scary stuff.”

Fintan O’Toole, Irish Times

Shatter’s personal integrity makes the reality of this crisis far worse (Finntan O’Toole, Irish Times)

‘Shatter Omnishambles’ is bigger than one man – the minister should go (Dearbhail McDonald, irish Independent)

Whistleblower speaks out: Callinan’s statements “false and misleading”, says McCabe (Michael Clifford, irish Examiner)

(Sasko Lazarov/Photocall Ireland)