What is Truth?

international | rights, freedoms and repression | opinion/analysis Thursday January 27, 2005 22:31 by Kevin Walsh - Social Justice and Ethics Please

Justice........Promises forsaken.......Corruption

Answers need.

60 years today commemoration Auschwitz - 'knowledge is no load' a wise old Judge once said......

2004 can now be called the year of the Reforms that Never Happened.

When scandal followed scandal indicating to anyone that the management of An Gardai Siochana had serious internal problems.

Minister McDowell marked 2004 as the year of promises (PD) and short on action. Other scandals were so great that even Justice Morris, beavering away and trying to unravel the Donegal affair, found the going difficult clashing in his Tribunal Court with the top brass of An Gardai Siochana. The first report even shocked those who were in Denial for years about what was going on within the Gardai. A few heads rolled, the biggest one so far was Superintendent Kevin Lennon but the seriousness of these revelations and facts never reached Gardai Headquarters where most scandals begin and end, if we have or are perceived to have the internal structure of investigation from within.

How come McDowell himself said there is much worse to come? Now let's have some facts here:-

McDowell was the Attorney General at time of that period of corruption. Let's not forget, Frank Short, under McDowell's tenure as Attorney General. A totally innocent man who spent some time in prison by corrupt Gardai - the corruption goes beyond belief, even if you put it on a barometer of global policing.

Frank Short is now totally exonerated from all charges and is awaiting compensation.

The big issue for this year is not Who did what to persecute innocent citizens in Donegal but who colluded at HQ? And who helped to quote former Commissioner P.R. Byrne (cover-up). McDowell has a problem. He knows in his heart, Conroy is from the old brigade and as a Commissioner is not up to the task of running An Gardai Siochana. Who will succeed him? Are there any members in the upper echelons sufficiently distant from scandals (I don't think so).

Could Liam Aylward persuade Fianna Fail and PD co. to bring in a totally independent Management Body or even three legal people with personnel background to manage An Gardai Siochana.

This sounds to logical for modern Ireland. An Gardai Siochana needs an open minded individual to take it into the 21st century. The few Gardai who have been pushed out for corruption or blatant misbehaviour with golden handshakes and pensions - now that is Justice for you!! As Minister Brian Cowen said once some years ago, in reference to McDowell, 'You won't lecture me from the steps of the Law Library' and by God there are over 2.5 million people on this Island that think this way.

As we speak, there are some members of An Gardai Siochana, who are already under investigation for mis-conduct, which should mean instant dismissal, in the real world, some have actually been promoted while under investigation. Lennon was a key example of this.

Gardai problems began from the culture of secrecy going back 80 years. In recent times, since the Troubles in the North (last 30 years) by media manipulation which has evolved from the Troubles. The regular Gardai practice of demonising suspects and bringing them in, in the absence of Court Room Proof, to a nudge and wink trial, media still goes on. This came to light in a classic Sunday World report that emerging Donegal scandal was an IRA plot to discredit the Special Branch. Paul Williams is not a Criminologist. It is only 15 years ago that he was chasing Gardai cars and ambulances to get a story.

The McBrearty family were intimidated, threatened, bullied by the Gardai for years. It took a secret telephone call one night some years ago, by a decent member of An Gardai Siochana, to Deputy Howlin (Labour) to ignite this now major scandal, in the so-called Irish Justice system.

Adrienne McGlinchey was an un-balanced person and attention seeker that was easily manipulated by Super-intentended Lennon and Detective McMahon. Lennon climbed the Gardai ranks by using this idiotic sad young woman. Now you have to beg the queston, who works at Gardai Head Quarters?

McDowell has taken the high ground for the past 7 years - I would like to ask him where was he as Attorney General in relation to the corruption in Donegal and now as Minister for Justice I ask him the question where are the 2,000 extra Gardai he promised 7 years ago?

Bertie Ahern, in the last 2 weeks, has used McDowell to do his dirty work for him, in relation to the Sinn Fein. By doing this, Bertie is playing high stakes. Let's go back to Bertie's statement some years ago, in relation to Ray Burke, 'I have sent Dermot Ahern up every tree in North Dublin - I have also sent him to London, and we have found nothing to relate Ray Burke to corruption.

As I write this tonight, Ray Burke is in a prison cell, the first Minister who held portfolios in Environment, Communications, Justice and the last being Foreign Affairs.

Ray Burke played a major part in the Peace Process as Minister for Foreign Affairs - this does not give the Irish Government much credibility in hindsight now. Could someone now ask Minister McDowell what the word Criminality means? When now, ex. Foreign Affairs Minister who was heavily involved in the Peace Process (up to six years ago) is now lying alone in a prison cell. I am sure the old Brendan Behan song 'The ould Triangle that gingle jangles' passes through Ray Burke's mind.

McDowell has taken the high ground but 7 days is a long time in politics. Today on Radio 1 at 5 p.m., McDowell made a very stupid idiotic statement in relation to Racist reform in Ireland. McDowell's referred to the Jews now living in Clanbrassil Street have no complaints. Amazingly when Prof. Ronit Lentin, Trinity spoke, she remarked on the reality of such a statement and the fact that the Jews had been pushed out of Clanbrassil Street with insulting grafitti and insulting behaviour towards them. What world is this idiot McDowell living in.

Some time ago, Professor Niamh Brennan made a statement at a UCD conference - 'The Gardai would be the last people I would phone, if in trouble'. If the wife of the Minister for Justice has no faith in the Gardai, then what about ordinary Joe Soaps in the street.

McDowell's last two years may only manage to pave the way for his successor on Gardai reform. His unpopularity with the media does not help matters within the Fianna Fail ranks particularly with the forthcomming 2007 elections.

By the end of 2005, if the Government unravels sooner than expected (One never knows, Ray Burke could start singing from his prison cell). This would make McDowell another item in the political rubbish bin but then also could Bertie, if some chimpanzee goes and finds something up a tree in Drumcondra.

Now lets go back to some facts again before I finish. The McBrearty family; Frank Short and his family; the appalling corruption in An Gardai Siochana - would you blame me for laughing yesterday, when An Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said 'I take the word of the Gardai special branch in relation to Belfast Bank Heist. Now anybody with common sense would Laugh and Laugh and Laugh. It is not so long ago that Nickey Kelly and Oscar Brannock were given a full Presidential pardon(Sallins Train robbery) by President Robinson. They received one million pounds compensation from the State some years ago.

By the way, McDowell appoint Brian Curtin as a Judge. Would anyone please question that Judgment? That is another story that will not go away easily, on McDowell's head...McDowell made a statement a couple of days ago, Sinn Fein are going away to reflect. McDowell wants to go away (hopefully in two years time) and not come back. This minister is a condescending idiot who has put no input of any cognitive impact into the Peace Process. As Adams said today, this man will destroy the Peace Process because of his paranoia about the increase in the Sinn Fein vote in the South of Ireland.

My last question for Minister McDowell - Would one his sureocrats give the names and addresses of the Jewish Community in the Dublin area - he seems to have a problem with it? His incorrect statement today in relation to Clanbrassil Street was appalling especially when it is the week of the anniversary of Auschwitz but then again if you look at McDowell very close, he would look quite comfortable alongside Himmler.

I will close by saying that the Peace Proce needs common sense and diversity. McDowell should now know that people in glass houses cannot throw stones because Ireland is one large glass house.

My final question for Michael McDowell is in relation to Mark Thatcher, his private school comrade. Was Mark wrong in trying to overthrow a Government - we all know what for money, money, money, (oil). Minister, would you call Margaret Thatcher's son a criminal - I would.

Let's not forget John Carthy, shot four times in the chest with total pin point penetration. A vulnerable, bipolar man, all he asked for was a cigarette, his doctor/solcitor. As his mother said some time ago - I phoned on Gardai Siochana for help. They came and assasinated my son. Why?

Kevin Walsh