Time for Shatter to apologise

I sent this email to Alan Shatter, Minister for Justice and Equality, this afternoon.  I'll let you know if he responds (still waiting to hear from Kenny):

Minister,

following the RTE Prime Time programme which defamed an entirely innocent priest, Fr Kevin Reynolds, you said that the reports left you with “a sense of revulsion at the unspeakable catalogue of abuse against children....While the behaviour took place abroad, we have a solemn duty to do all that is within our power to ensure that perpetrators of this predatory abuse of children are brought to justice wherever it takes place” http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/0524/breaking28.html

In short, Minister, you rushed to judgment.  It's bad enough to be defamed by the national broadcaster, but to have the Minister for Justice follow up with such comments must have been very difficult for Fr Reynolds.

While RTE has issued a full apology (and presumably will follow up with appropriate compensation) I did not notice you issuing an apology for your comments;  perhaps I missed it.

If you haven't issued a public statement on the matter I think you should.  And I think that in future you should consider carefully whether it is appropriate for the Minister for Justice to be issuing statements on foot of documentaries rather than convictions in a court of law.

The people will shortly be asked in a referendum to give the Oireachtas and its committees the right to hold investigations and to make judgments as to the balance and fairness of the rights of individuals.  Based on the recent record of politicians, including yourself in the Fr Reynolds case and the Taoiseach in his outrageous remarks about the Pope, I think the people will be very reluctant to entrust you with such power.

Yours sincerely,

Brendan Doyle

Separated at birth

Michael D. Higgins


 

Paul Daniels



"Shatter defends State record on rights"

The Irish Times surpassed itself for irony in yesterday's headline (see title above).  For if Shatter did anything, it wasn't defend the State.  What he did was turn up, allow a bunch of foreigners tell us that we must introduce abortion, change our constitution to reduce the status of stay-at-home mothers and give even more support to the heavily supported Travellers.

Just look at some of the States which challenged our human rights record:

Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Egypt, Ghana, Iraq, Turkey, Cambodia, Algeria, Sri Lanka. 

We really have lots to learn from those countries, don't we.

And what did our Minister for Justice say when challenged on abortion.  Did he follow David Quinn's advice?  Did he point out that there is no human right to abortion in any international human rights instrument?  Did he point out that the European Court of Human Rights itself confirmed this?  Did he heck!

In response to questions on abortion, Mr Shatter said the Government was committed to “expeditious” implementation of the European Court of Human Rights judgment in the A, B and C case. An expert group would be appointed next month, and he pledged to deal with the abortion issue in an “adequate and comprehensive” way.

Of course this is the most important issue, but a more general question - what possible benefit is there for Ireland in being a member of the United Nations?  We get nothing from it.  We have no influence whatsoever.  The liberal left simply use it as as stick to beat us, and an excuse to bring in the policies that ordinary people do not support.

MOOB! The sound of Norris's campaign imploding

It was just too good tonight on Vincent Brown.  Leaving aside his ridiculous theatrical attack on Martin Mc Guinness with his pile of books about the IRA, including the slander that Malachy O'Doherty was in the IRA, for which he subsequently apologised. 

Leaving that aside his simple question to Norris totally demolished him.  It was every cliché you can imagine - rabbits in headlights stuff.  And such a simple question - "David, you've said you can't release the letters for legal reasons.  And that you've received legal advice from Israel to that effect.  Who gave you that legal advice?"

Norris squirmed, he flailed around, he floundered, he grandstanded.  He had no answer.  It was as clear as Pinocchio's nose that Norris has invented the Israeli legal advice.

And now it's been revealed that for sixteen years as a Senator he was getting the Disability Allowance as well.  He's refusing to say what the disability was.  I hear he's a degenerat-
eive eye condition caused by years of blinkered vision and broadmindedness.