Shatter spurns call to retract whistleblower remark

The schism between Fine Gael and Labour over the penalty points debacle deepened again last night as Minister for Justice Alan Shatter spurned demands from Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore to withdraw Dáil remarks about one of the Garda whistleblowers.

Fresh divisions came in advance of a Cabinet meeting today at which Taoiseach Enda Kenny and Mr Gilmore will attempt to overcome their parties' differences over the stance of Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan.

Although Mr Gilmore said the Minister for Justice should retract his assertion in the Dáil that Sgt Maurice McCabe had not co-operated with a Garda inquiry into the points affair, Mr Shatter indicated he was not minded to do so.

The Department of Justice said the Minister discussed the controversy with Cabinet colleagues before a Dáil speech last month. He said then there was “fault on both sides” but could not see how Sgt McCabe could be described as co-operating with the inquiry.

'No issue'
"Minister Shatter's Fine Gael and Labour colleagues raised no issue subsequent to this," said a Department of Justice spokesman. "Indeed, some of Minister Shatter's Cabinet colleagues, including some of his Labour colleagues, made supportive comments to the Minister following his speech."

The statement came after Mr Gilmore reiterated claims by a line of Labour Ministers that Mr Callinan should withdraw his assertion he was disgusted by the behaviour of Sgt McCabe and fellow whistleblower John Wilson, a former garda.

Last night it emerged that the content and timing of any statement from Mr Callinan would be dictated by the outcome of the Cabinet meeting. At issue primarily is whether Mr Shatter seeks fresh public comment from him.

Sources said the only possible compromise centres on his use of the word “disgusting” but they emphasised that no firm decision had been made.

One-to-one meeting
Mr Kenny yesterday summoned Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar for a one-to-one meeting on his intervention in the affair last week.

With the Taoiseach reluctant to call for a retraction from Mr Callinan, Mr Varadkar reignited the controversy by saying the commissioner should withdraw the remark.

Mr Kenny’s public call on Ministers to keep their views in the Cabinet room is understood to have been directed at Mr Varadkar.

Labour sources said they would not be bound by any instruction on this front from Mr Kenny. “The Labour Party doesn’t take dictation from the leader of another party,” said a senior Labour source.