A two-day withdrawal by the main opposition parties from the Dβil chamber because of allegations made against former minister for justice, Mrs Nora Owen, by Independent Donegal TD, Mr Tom Gildea, was an excessive and disproportionate response. The anger and suspicion of the opposition parties was understandable. But the rules of the House were applied. The offending remarks were withdrawn and a belated apology tendered by Mr Gildea to Mrs Owen for the hurt caused. In those circumstances, the workings of democracy should have taken precedence. The concerns of the opposition parties might have been pursued more constructively.
It was clear Fine Gael believed Mr Gildea was encouraged to make his allegations in order to distract attention from a Dβil motion which sought the establishment of a public inquiry into wrong-doing by members of the Garda S∅ochβna in Co Donegal. Mr Michael Noonan spoke of the existence of a Fianna Fβil "dirty tricks" department that smeared opposition TDs. He criticised the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, for sitting silently in the Dβil chamber and allowing the scurrilous remarks to be made. For its part, Fianna Fβil privately circulated comments made by Mrs Owen during the Hugh O'Flaherty/Philip Sheedy controversy in which she spoke of the "Cahirciveen connection", linking the Minister with Mr O'Flaherty.
Dangerous political games are being played. Mr Gildea was speaking in Government time when he attacked Mrs Owen and called for a criminal investigation into her behaviour as minister. When he withdrew those remarks on Wednesday night, the Opposition parties failed to move a motion of censure. Instead, yesterday morning, they demanded the Government should provide time for such a motion, which - if granted - could be expected to damage its relations with a valuable supporter. When that concession wasn't forthcoming, and in spite of an apology by Mr Gildea, the opposition parties withdrew from the chamber. They are expected be absent for today's business but are preparing to return on Tuesday when a motion of censure in Mr Gildea will be moved in Labour Party time.
The comments made by Mr Gildea were offensive and damaging. Their immediate withdrawal reflected their lack of substance. But the central issue in all of this is public loss of confidence in the Garda in Co Donegal and the failure of the Minister for Justice to deal with the situation. For almost five years, complaints have been made to the Department of Justice concerning Garda investigations into the death of Mr Richard Barron and the alleged harassment of the McBrearty family. Three internal Garda investigations have been held; more than 1,100 interviews have been conducted and investigations are still on-going. As a sop to public concern, the Minister appointed an eminent senior counsel to review the results of investigations. He trumpeted the Government decision to establish a new independent mechanism to investigate the Garda. But it will take years to pass reforming legislation.