• Enda Kenny, Irish Taoiseach, to trigger Fine Gael leadership contest after US visit
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[URL="http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/kenny-to-trigger-fine-gael-leadership-contest-after-us-visit-1.2982852"]http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/kenny-to-trigger-fine-gael-leadership-contest-after-us-visit-1.2982852[/URL] [QUOTE]Taoiseach Enda Kenny will arrange for the election of a new Fine Gael leader soon after he returns from Washington DC next month but will not specifically layout a timeframe for his departure this week. Mr Kenny will not definitively tell his parliamentary party tomorrow when the process of electing a new leader will begin, but will instead say the issue will be dealt with after St Patrick’s Day. A close friend of Mr Kenny’s said it is likely he will trigger the 20-day contest to elect a new Fine Gael leader after his March 16th visit to meet US president Donald Trump at the White House. Sources said the Taoiseach did not want to travel to Washington with a “cloud” hanging over him, and that being in place for the beginning of Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union was important to him. Mr Kenny informed friends in Mayo of his decision over the weekend. He is said to be “philosophical” and to have always intended to retire in the coming months. “He was never going to stay past the summer,” said Mr Kenny’s friend. “He’s a good man being pushed out. But it’s generational change in the party, and sometimes you just can’t hold back the tide."[/QUOTE] Recommend you read the article in full as usual. You may be wondering why this is happening. Well, I'm going to take this opportunity to explain the biggest political crisis, in my opinion, since the banking crisis in 2008 in Ireland: The Garda Whistle-blower crisis, and more specifically, the targetting of Sargent Maurice McCabe. This [URL="http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/from-2006-to-present-a-timeline-of-events-in-the-maurice-mccabe-whistleblower-crisis-442857.html"]article by the Irish Examiner[/URL] should hopefully shed light on the situation. I will highlight specific parts from it, but I recommend you also read the article: [QUOTE]2006 January: Sgt Maurice McCabe makes complaint against a garda colleague which ends up with the officer being disciplined. December: A garda makes a complaint against Sgt McCabe, alleging he rubbed up against a six-year-old girl inappropriately while playing hide and seek with his children. Sgt McCabe asks that the complaint be fully investigated. The DPP finds the allegation was without foundation. 2012 Sgt McCabe steps into the public spotlight becoming the most high-profile whistleblower in the force after raising concerns about the internal handling of an assault allegation. A few months later, he lifted the lid on the penalty points controversy, claiming well- known personalities had their points wiped. Nov: An interim report on the penalty points controversy is given to then-minister for justice Alan Shatter. 2013 May: Penalty report by assistant commissioner John O’Mahony is published. It finds there may have been a breach of rules. In reply, the then Garda commissioner Martin Callinan said that “no evidence has been found to suggest any criminality in the cancellation of fixed charge notices”. August: A garda and Tusla are contacted by a counsellor, making them aware of a child abuse allegation against a garda. The garda in question is Sgt McCabe. The alleged victim is the same woman who made the claim in 2006. A file is sent to Bailieboro Station on the basis that this is his local station. However, he had not worked there since 2008. October: The comptroller and auditor general report supports whistleblower claims on the penalty points scandal. 2014 January: Commissioner Martin Callinan ignites a political and public storm after calling the actions of garda whistleblowers “disgusting”. Then PAC chairman John McGuinness says that he met Mr Callinan in a carpark. Mr Callinan attempted to undermine the credibility of Sgt McCabe, saying he “was not to be trusted and there were serious issues about him”. A few days later, Sgt McCabe appeared before the PAC outlining his concerns over the abuse of the penalty points system. March 12: Garda Inspectorate report into penalty points finds widespread breaches of policy. March 25: Mr Callinan retires for “family reasons”. Assistant commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan appointed acting commissioner. April: The Child and Family Agency (later to become Tusla) opens files on Sgt McCabe and his family alleging sexual abuse. May 7: Mr Shatter resigns. * Two years following his resignation, the O’Higgins Commission’s findings were that Mr. Shatter had dealt with the issues raised by Sergeant McCabe appropriately and properly. May: Counsellor contacts Tusla to say allegation of digital penetration in McCabe file have been ‘copied and pasted’ in error. Garda are notified of the error by Tusla. June: A meeting is scheduled between the local superintendent and an assistant Garda commissioner. However, the meeting did not take place, according to gardaí. 2015 February: O’Higgins Commission of Investigation, which looks at allegations by Sgt McCabe of malpractice in the Cavan-Monaghan division, is set up. December: Tusla writes to Sgt McCabe informing him he is being investigated following allegations of child sex abuse. It is the first time he is made aware of the allegations. Sgt McCabe denies the claim.[/QUOTE] Etc, etc. [URL="http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/maurice-mccabe-meeting-deepens-crisis-442780.html"]This is also another important article to read.[/URL] Overall: McCabe has been treated disgustingly and it has undermined public (and my own) trust in the ability of both the leadership of the Gardai and this current government. Simply put, Enda Kenny's mishandling of this situation ensures that he must go, and while it is terrible timing due to Brexit, that the current government goes and we have an election. EDIT: Mods I hope this post isn't too long. I'd make it longer by posting most of the timeline article on the Whisteblower crisis but I'd fear that would break rules. EDIT2: Trust me, this is going to make the St. Patrick's Day meeting with Trump even more tense than I thought possible. It will essentially be the last major act as Taoiseach Kenny will do - and so he must not blunder, least there be consequences for Ireland at a time we don't need any more crisis!
Holy hell. Something else has to be going on for people to coordinate such an effort to try to ruin McCabe's life like that. Fabricating allegations of child abuse because someone uncovered unfair practices in the enforcement of driving penalty points is just mental.
[QUOTE=1legmidget;51853624]Holy hell. Something else has to be going on for people to coordinate such an effort to try to ruin McCabe's life like that. Fabricating allegations of child abuse because someone uncovered unfair practices in the enforcement of driving penalty points is just mental.[/QUOTE] There are certainly a lot of questions to be asked. I hope that the Tribunal that has been setup (the first one in a decade) will conduct its business well and get to the bottom of it. However, those Tribunals have been wasteful in the past, which we will have to avoid. I still trust the Gardai and ordinary Garda. But I find it absolutely horrible that the upper reaches of the Gardai are so corrupt.
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