Despite the best efforts of the Minister for Justice, Alan Shatter, the Garda Commissioner, Martin Callinan, the Government and others it has now been established that there was widespread corruption within the Gardai in relation to the handling of the penalty points system.
Alan Shatter and Martin Callinan are also guilty of attempting to cover up the corruption. In a functional democracy such behaviour would result in immediate dismissals, a proper police investigation and likely prosecutions.
Let me repeat that:
In a functional democracy Alan Shatter and Martin Callinan would be immediately dismissed from office and become the focus of a police investigation.
In a functional democracy those police officers that acted corruptly would also find themselves out of a job and under investigation.
But because Ireland is an intrinsically corrupt state, that is, a state that actively tolerates, facilitates and protects the corrupt, no action whatsoever will be taken.
The response to this latest incidence of corruption is exactly the same response to every other incidence of corruption over the past several decades.
Our Prime Minister:
The Taoiseach expressed confidence in the Garda Commissioner and the Minister for Justice. He claims that the dysfunctionality and inefficiency in the force is now being addressed.
This is to completely ignore the fact that corruption has occurred.
The Garda Inspectorate, Robert Olsen:
It’s a very minor piece of the huge remit that the Garda Siochana has and it kind of slipped by the wayside.
This is to completely ignore the fact that corruption has occurred.
The Opposition:
Various opposition spokespersons have called for apologies and resignations but nobody has called for a criminal investigation
This is to completely ignore the fact that corruption has occurred.