Sir, – Phone calls to Garda stations were recorded for 30 years, but when the highest officers of the State met for four hours to discuss this grave matter no record of any kind was made.
How curious. – Yours, etc,
Dr JOHN DOHERTY,
Gaoth Dobhair,
Co Dhún na nGall.
Sir, – Martin Callinan did not return his SIM card to Garda headquarters and his documents were shredded.
The Fennelly Commission found his text messages were irretrievable.
The commission should ask Britain’s GCHQ or the US National Security Agency, both of which archive all such messages. They also probably have a verbatim record of the “crucial and decisive” four-hour meeting at which no notes were taken. – Yours, etc,
ANGELA POLSEN-EMY,
Dublin 6.
Sir, – With so few records of what we are told by the Taoiseach was a matter of the utmost gravity, and with so many top-level people offering their varied recollections, it’s a wonder that Nial Fennelly could even write a report.
But why are we surprised at the lack of written notes? It seems to me to be an unwritten rule in government and probably other places that the last thing you should do is commit something to writing when a written record might come back to bite you.
It seems that none of the parties involved kept reasonable contemporaneous notes, despite the stated gravity of it all.
And now we’ll have to listen to more blather from high sources about learning from this experience and about improving governance. For my part, I now have absolutely no confidence or trust in what this Government or its administrative arms might say. – Yours,etc,
ED McDONALD,
Blackrock,
Co Dublin.
Sir, – The hypocrisy and faux-indignation over the Fennelly report are exceptional even by Irish standards.
At the time of Martin Callinan’s resignation, the opposition and media were already circling him. His “disgusting” remark about Garda whistle-blowers; his handling of the Mick Wallace issue; his handling of the penalty points issue; his handling of the Garda Síochána relationship with GSOC; all had reached a point where the Taoiseach would be asked in the Dáil to back him or sack him. The former had become impossible, the second was apparently unlawful. The commissioner’s position was untenable, through no fault of the Government. Did Brian Purcell’s telling him this fact constitute constructive dismissal? I don’t think so. Mr Callinan took the only honourable and dignified course open to him.
Those TDs now baying for the Taoiseach’s head would have expected no less if they were in government. – Yours, etc,
NEIL McDONNELL,
Lucan, Co Dublin.