Minister for Justice Alan Shatter resigns.

whydave

mister gullible wrote: »

Hope we're not invaded while there's no minister for defence.

The Germans already did and we had a full Government ! :rolleyes:
hope we get a half decent Minster !

Sparks

Frances Fitzgerald is the new Minister for Justice.

tac foley

He didn't know where he was going.

When he got there, he didn't know where he was.

And now he's gone, he didn't know where he'd been.

Yet another politician with a great future behind him.

tac, interested enough to comment.

ace86

Sparks wrote: »

Frances Fitzgerald is the new Minister for Justice.

Is that a good thing or a bad thing I wonder??

Sparks

She doesn't have any real record with regard to firearms (a few calls for greater resourcing of gardai to fight gun crime is about it) in the Oireachtas. How long she's going to be in the job given that the Government would seem to have taken a hell of a kick, that's anyone's guess I think.

"Doesn't set off any alarm bells; let's wait and see" would be my personal opinion.

Well, that and that it'll be interesting to see what happens when both Ministers for Justice, the AG and the (acting) Commissioner are all women. Might not be any bad thing at all to get the "boys club" mindset defenestrated from the highest possible window...

yubabill1

I don't see the new MoJ being in the job long enough to notice the proposals we are all concerned about- it looks like FG and Lab are going to get a drubbing on May 23rd and this should provoke leadership crises in both parties.

Labour are especially vulnerable, at 9 or 10% in various polls. A bad showing in the elections will be the end of Gilmore and that may also mean the end of the coalition, as Shatter has played a fulsome role in destabilising it in the last couple of months, taking up where Phil Hogan and James Reilly left off.....

tac foley

Just remind me what party Mr Shatter belonged to? Living up to his name seems to be the pinnacle of his achievements.

tac

yubabill1

tac foley wrote: »

Just remind me what party Mr Shatter belonged to? Living up to his name seems to be the pinnacle of his achievements.

tac

He belongs to Fine Gael (FG), as does his successor, Frances Fitzgerald.

FG and Labour are in a coalition government, with a very large majority. A majority which (in my opinion) was won by both parties promising that they would more-or-less repudiate the huge debt burden forced upon Ireland by the EU to rescue our banks, for fear Irish bank collapses would spark same in other countries (where some banks were just as insolvent as ours).

Sparks

...well, that and that nobody wanted Fianna Fail to run anything after they'd run us into the ground, and the Greens... well, enough said really. So FG/Labour was pretty much the only other available choice.

What happens this time round... feck, I don't know. Anyone with a working memory and the ability to read pretty much has a huge number of reasons not to vote for any of the top five parties and you can't make a government up from independents very easily.

yubabill1

Sparks wrote: »

...well, that and that nobody wanted Fianna Fail to run anything after they'd run us into the ground, and the Greens... well, enough said really. So FG/Labour was pretty much the only other available choice.

What happens this time round... feck, I don't know. Anyone with a working memory and the ability to read pretty much has a huge number of reasons not to vote for any of the top five parties and you can't make a government up from independents very easily.

+1 on all the above.

Personally, I see the local elections returning ABFF/FG/Lab, as people want to protest that they are not fools and also that they have only been swallowing the guff from politicians they voted for, because their guff is less obnoxious than some other politician's.

In the last general election, I think people really invested in the hope that FG and Labour were peddling.

Also, I think the government will get a drumming because people don't take the local elections as seriously as general elections.

If you don't vote, you really can't give out.

Sparks

The thing is, when you look at who ABFF/FG/Lab/GP actually are, it's a scary sight. This is only a local election, but what if you voted that way for a general election? Can you see a Lowry, a Wallace or a Healy-Rae as Taoiseach?

yubabill1

Sorry, Sparks - of course I see your logic and I'm sure a lot of people are thinking along the same lines - but I'm going to restrict myself to commenting on what I think I see. Safer.

Everyone will have to come to their own conclusions on this one and IMHO we will likely face a general election sooner rather than later. THAT will be some headache, whenever it comes, alright.

mightywarrior

“The shooting on Monday happened in broad day light on a busy road putting the local community at risk. Gun crime and gangland activity are serious issues that can have disasterous effects on innocent by-standards. Local residents I have spoken to are shocked and upset at this incident, they fear escalation. Any escalation of violence is a real problem but when guns are involved that problem is even more serious and shows that we need a tough approach to guns and to gangland activity,” said Frances Fitzgerald.


From reading this things dont look good. Another one of those, "lets take guns off nice people because the bad guys won't have either then"

tac foley

Edit - '...we need a tough approach to gangland activity,” said Frances Fitzgerald.'

Fixed it.

tac

Sparks

Except that when commenting about the Wayne Doherty shooting, when everyone wanted gun legislation, she said in the Oireachtas:

Gangland crime has serious implications for the country and we must provide more resources for gardaí at local level and enact strong legislation in this area.

In other words, go after the gangs and give the gardai the manhours needed to do so. As opposed to banning pistols...

Grizzly 45

mister gullible wrote: »

Hope we're not invaded while there's no minister for defence.

Dont worry on that account .Our dear , glorious and fearless leader Enda is now minister of defence..:rolleyes:Do we surrender right away to any three lads walking into the Dail with a new flag catapult,a spud gun and a 2x4 with a rusty nail in it ???:rolleyes:

meathstevie

In fairness to the Minister, her take on hit the criminals hard and resource the Gardai to bloody well do the job is the only right attitude. No amount of restricting law abiding gun ownership is going to take away one single violent criminal from society.

wexfordman2

Sparks wrote: »

The thing is, when you look at who ABFF/FG/Lab/GP actually are, it's a scary sight. This is only a local election, but what if you voted that way for a general election? Can you see a Lowry, a Wallace or a Healy-Rae as Taoiseach?

Well hopefully none of them,but to be honest, if in a ge the main political parties were devestated I think it would be I my s positive thing.

It might be chaos, but Jesus its the only thing that will make them sit up and listen.the cartel has to be broken. We night have to break the country a bit more to fix it.

ace86

Sparks wrote: »

Except that when commenting about the Wayne Doherty shooting, when everyone wanted gun legislation, she said in the Oireachtas:
In other words, go after the gangs and give the gardai the manhours needed to do so. As opposed to banning pistols...

Well i for one would be in all favour of her if she made a commitment and really as a Minister did exactly what she said instead of hounding the ordinary five 8's but what will the gardai do or how will they react to her new ideas and methods of policing would be the question.

Chiparus

Interesting she wants to restore public confidence in the Guards, given that we have been subject to repeated instances where procedures have not seen to have been followed, indeed where evidence was tampered with, will she make these practices a thing of the past?

I doubt it.

Sikamick

After all these investigations/inquiries/reports will heads roll, will there be people sacked ( DOJ and senior Garda ) I don't think so.

Sikamick

rowa

Sikamick wrote: »

After all these investigations/inquiries/reports will heads roll, will there be people sacked ( DOJ and senior Garda ) I don't think so.

Sikamick

Probabily be a heap of early retirements on nice fat pensions though.

Grizzly 45

There will proably quite a few "early retirements" once one or two other delayed action bombs go off when their legal clocks are at zero relating to shooters and gun liscense cases,and they will be ones that would make the penalty points and such that brought down Shatter look like a petty squabble.:pac:

Sparks

Sikamick wrote: »

After all these investigations/inquiries/reports will heads roll, will there be people sacked ( DOJ and senior Garda ) I don't think so.
Sikamick

The count is currently at one Commissioner and one Minister last I checked, and may well rise to one Government before we're through.

Sparks

Grizzly 45 wrote: »

There will proably quite a few "early retirements" once one or two other delayed action bombs go off

Yeah, there's going to be quite a few early retirements.
But they're going to have as much to do with shooting as the man in the moon.
Fact is, haddington road means that senior gardai can retire this year and have more pension money than if they wait for next year. Given how bad their funding is, you'd be hard pressed to find a logical reason why anyone would stay in the job.
To be honest, the idea of any senior garda being ousted now on the foot of a dispute over a firearms licencing decision is just not realistic.

Grizzly 45

Lets wait and see...:)
Of course it will never be announced as such in the state media and we wont see some cheif being led in cuffs out of his office to be frog marched into a paddy wagon and driven off at top speed.

It will be the usual in an office over drinkies and "Twas luck bad you were caught out there,now.Shure arent ya better off out ofit,get more time with the family and no worries about the penshuin...etc,etc."

Thus has it been and always will be when the incompetant or guilty are put out to grass and are protected by the establishments who promoted them.Payoff and penshuin and no books being written about the life and times of.
No one to blame,no one at fault and the "little people" are none the wiser as they couldnt handle the truth.:(

Sparks

http://www.merrionstreet.ie/index.php/2014/05/public-consultation-on-establishing-an-independent-policing-authority/?cat=3

Public Consultation on Establishing an Independent Policing Authority
The Government today announced a public consultation on establishing an independent Policing Authority.
Background
The Government considers there is a need to ensure full public confidence in, and support for, An Garda Síochána, given the very difficult and important task it fulfills. At its meeting on 1 April, the Government decided to establish an independent Policing Authority alongside other associated reforms to the policing and justice system. The Government also considers it is important that there be a full public debate on the issue of policing and justice reform. The intention is to have new structures, including the establishment of a new independent Policing Authority, in place before the end of the year.
Proposals are currently being developed for an independent Policing Authority
which is appropriate to Ireland’s needs and which will maintain appropriate democratic accountability to the Oireachtas.
As part of the public consultation, advertisements were placed in the national newspapers today seeking written submissions on options for establishment of the Authority, including:
- functions and responsibilities of a Policing Authority ;
- appointment and membership of the Authority;
- its relationship with the Government and the Oireachtas, and
- implications for the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC) and the Garda Síochána Inspectorate.
Making a submission
Submissions are welcome on any policy issues associated with the establishment of an independent Policing Authority but issues relating to individual cases involving An Garda Síochána will not be considered.
If you wish to make a submission please include your name and contact details (phone number and postal address and, if available, an email address). If the submission is on behalf of an organisation, you should indicate your position in the organisation. You should be aware that any submissions (including your identity) may be published and will also be subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Acts.
The deadline for receipt of submissions is Saturday, 31st May, 2014.
Submissions can be e-mailed to justicereformsubmissions@justice.ie or posted to:
Justice Reform Unit,
Department of Justice and Equality,
51 St. Stephen’s Green,
Dublin 2.

Keep it civil and run a spell-checker before hitting "send", eh lads?