Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)

I appreciate that everybody is entitled to his or her good name, as I am to mine. My good name was cleared by a jury, thank God. I referred to certain decisions that have been taken. I know an old man who wants his name to be cleared because of shady dealings before he goes to his grave. I met a former member of a corporation on Monday night and spoke to him at length. He wants his good name to be cleared. There is only one way to clear it and that is an inquiry. The man in question was bullied to vote in a certain way when he was a member of the corporation. The only way to clear his name is to have a proper inquiry. If it takes a Garda inquiry, so be it. I will be writing to the Garda Commissioner to look for such an inquiry. I have the height of respect for the senior gardaí in Clonmel and the people who will investigate it. I have no problem with them.

I also have the height of respect for the people who investigated my case, including Superintendent Dave Sheehan, an independent man who is now doing great work in dealing with serious crime in the Minister of State's constituency of Limerick City. There are some brilliant people but there are also some bad apples. In the middle of my case, one of them asked me why I did not pay the fellows who were making allegations against me. My retort was "Pay them off? And how much would you want? Get out of my face quick". I would not stand for that kind of political or Garda interference. It was just one man, or two people, but the rest of the good people are being tarnished by them.

We need a proper cleansing. That is why Deputy Martin has a hard job to do in putting Fianna Fáil back on the road. That has to be done for the sake of the past generations, those who are serving at the moment and the good people who want to go into politics. I was proud to be a part of that party, which has a proud heritage. Why do Deputies think I am outside it now? Certain cabals decided I was not fit for it, I might be too straight for it or I was not the right kind of person for it. My late brother, who was a paediatrician of some renown, was insulted on the night I was picked at a convention when he was told: "Do not worry. He will not be going for election. We will make sure. He might be nominated at the head of the poll but we will ensure he will be disgraced before the election comes along." They engaged in that kind of cronyism, blackguarding and bullying because they knew they would get away with it. They had the contacts. It was wrong that something like that could be said to a man who was never involved in politics.

I believe passionately that if we are to learn anything from the Mahon tribunal, we should learn lessons for the public and for all political parties. I wish Deputy Martin well. In fairness to him, he has dealt with it as best he can, as far as I can see from outside the party. Councillors across the floor have not been expelled or dealt with. Similarly, the Moriarty tribunal has not been dealt with. We need to be honest with ourselves and straight with the people. We should meet and support ordinary law-abiding citizens. We have to ensure there is trust in all our institutions and systems, from the bottom rank up. The political system, the Garda Síochána and the Judiciary, etc., need to live up to the highest standards at all levels. The people need to be able to have trust and faith in them. That has not happened in some cases, sadly. We need to learn lessons from those cases if we are to establish a decent political reputation and serve our people as we are supposed to do. It should not be a case of self-service.

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