Eoghan Harris (Independent)

Long before the recession began the media continually made all of the progressive and reform movements and politicians responded. We bring politics into disrepute by speaking every day about last night's "Prime Time Investigates" or last week's "Today with Pat Kenny" programme. Politics can have no currency if it continually follows the media. We follow the media because every progressive movement of the Government during the past 30 years was prefaced, followed, killed or stifled by politicians acting on the advice of the Attorney General. I have two rules for Taoisigh, the first of which is that they should never leave the country, whether to go on holidays or visit America, when a crisis is pending. The second concerns acting on the advice of the Attorney General which has been lethal for politics in this country. I am aware that this is a state of law, but, by definition, laws are static rules which stop people and politicians from doing things. I have never seen a law that has initiated fresh movements or progress. Surely, it is the function of the Attorney General to enable people to do things. He should tell a Minister how to act rather than why he or she should do nothing. The only proactive Attorney General I can recall is the much lamented Michael McDowell. I will put flesh on Senator Ó Murchú's recollection of Wikileaks. Michael McDowell reminded us that, far from packing it in 1993 or 1998, the Provisional IRA was actively engaged in planning the subversion of the State as recently as 2005. Adams and friends were up to their necks in it. All those who retrospectively offer benediction or assurances that it is all over or that they are all goody-goodies now that the peace process is under way should realise that as recently as five years ago they were actively setting up dirty tricks departments, targeting politicians, eavesdropping, hacking into telephone and computer systems and setting up a government within a government. They continue to control pubs, shops and security firms. They have built an evil empire within the economic structures of the State. Instead of confining his comments to Pat Finucane, Senator Ó Murchú should have mentioned Mr. Adams and his sunglasses and beret. Never let it be forgotten that we need a legal system and an Attorney General with the guts of Michael McDowell.