Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

In the spectator sport that, sadly, politics often descends into, instead of dealing with the serious issues that affect people, the chat around the Dáil among journalists and politicians is that the crisis has receded, the Taoiseach will survive a bit longer and because of decisions made by the Independent Alliance and Fianna Fáil, the Government will hobble on for a bit longer. Those are somewhat interesting issues but, frankly, they pale into insignificance compared with the issues that are at the heart of this crisis.

The crisis involves the utterly despicable treatment by the State of a brave man who had the courage to blow the whistle on wrongdoing in the institution of the State that is supposed to ensure justice. That person, instead of being commended and supported in his efforts to do what is right, was the subject of an orchestrated and savage campaign of vilification, intimidation and impugning of his character.

To me there is no doubt that there was an orchestrated campaign; that is beyond doubt. The only issue is precisely who orchestrated that campaign. That is to be decided. That there was a campaign is not in doubt. The Taoiseach said yesterday the inquiry is about finding out whether there was an orchestrated campaign. There was. Everybody knows it, and there was a campaign against other whistleblowers with similar tactics used. The fact that another Garda whistleblower, Keith Harrison, also had investigations about child abuse made against him at the same time that he was blowing the whistle is too much of a coincidence not to indicate a policy at the highest level of An Garda Síochána of dealing with whistleblowers in this way. It is shocking.

If that is the case, it can only be the tip of the iceberg of an absolutely rotten culture at the heart of the State and the institution that is supposed to maintain justice. Has that crisis receded? Not at all. Maybe there is light at the end of the tunnel for Maurice McCabe because at least he, in the eyes of the public, is being somewhat vindicated, something that has been forced on the State, although it is not clear that he or Keith Harrison will get the individual justice they deserve. That is far from certain, and it is unlikely that the rot in the culture of institutions of the State that could have allowed this to happen will be dealt with by any of the major parties, either those in government or Fianna Fáil which is propping them up.

The proof of that is the extraordinary decision not to ask Nóirín O'Sullivan to step aside. She is entitled to due process, something the Taoiseach has used as justification for allowing her to remain in situ. We cannot prejudge the tribunal of inquiry. However, given the seriousness of the allegations and the substantial evidence that has been brought forward, the idea that she can remain in situwhere if she were guilty she could potentially frustrate and interfere with the line of evidence that would allow the tribunal of inquiry to get the truth and justice of the matter, is absolutely unacceptable.

If the Government was being any way reasonable and was committed to a fair and impartial tribunal of investigation into the matter, it would have to ask her to step aside without prejudice so that the investigation could proceed unobstructed and with no possibility of or potential for interference. Unless it does that, I do not believe that either the Government or Fianna Fáil, which has failed to call for it, is serious about dealing with the rot that produced this scandal.

On every other front where the Government has set out its priorities to deal with key issues, such as, for example, the housing and health crises, it has failed. How could we possibly vote confidence in a Government that has failed on all of these fronts?

See this speech in context