Fianna Fáil Justice Spokesperson Niall Collins TD has responded to the latest development in the GSOC spying controversy, where Alan Shatter last night prejudged the outcome of the review announced just hours earlier by the Taoiseach.

 

Deputy Collins commented, “This controversy descended into farce last night as Minister Alan Shatter, true to form, undermined colleagues and the newly announced review by claiming that the offices were not bugged.

“We now have the extraordinary scenario of the Taoiseach persisting with the establishment of a review, the terms of reference of which will be written by a man who last night made clear that he has already made up his mind on the subject.  The contempt being shown for the Dáil, for GSOC and for the truth raises extremely serious questions about the judgement of Alan Shatter.

“This morning, we also read about the efforts of the Labour Party to claim ‘credit’ for their role in the unfolding debacle.  If Pat Rabbitte or Labour Party spinners believe that facilitating Alan Shatter in his contempt is worthy of credit, it says much about how detached the entire Government has become from the concerns of the public.

 

“At every stage of this mess, the only instinct that we have seen from Government is to isolate GSOC, distract attention from the core issues and attack the messenger.  This continued last night, a full nine days on from when the news first broke.  In the meantime, public confidence in the structures of law and order is eroded daily.”