Sir, – The Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, continues to insist that Mr Callinan made his own decision to resign – and he is technically correct. However, the fact of the matter is that Mr Callinan had no real choice given the actions of the Taoiseach in the lead-up to his decision.
It is obvious that Mr Kenny made a calculation that in order to retrieve anything from the awful treatment of the whistleblowers at least one of two had to go. He had previously invested so much emotional and political capital in Alan Shatter that he could not safely give him the chop. So there was only one doll still sitting on the wall and he had to be bounced.
By sending a very senior emissary to Mr Callinan’s home late on Monday evening last with the dire news that the Government was in a lather over the phone taping and that the Taoiseach was particularly upset (“this is terribly, terribly – and I mean terribly – serious, Martin”) he took any decision away from the retirement-aged commissioner.
Notwithstanding this, Mr Callinan still double-checked the following morning to ascertain if there had been any reduction in temperature, only to be told by the same official that “nothing has changed” – roughly translatable by anyone with a brain as “you know what you have to do”.
It is very important to maintain a firm grasp of reality so that “spin” does not ultimately replace it. Yours, etc,
LIAM MEADE,
Bellewood,
Ballyneety,
Co Limerick
Sir, – What would now be the chances that in maintaining intact his loyalty to Mr Shatter the Taoiseach will reinstate Meryvn Taylor’s old job of Minister for Equality and Law Reform in the upcoming cabinet reshuffle?
Mr Shatter would thereby be kept at the Cabinet table and would be able to concentrate on what he seems to do best while the operational issues he has spectacularly failed to master are subsumed into one of his colleagues’ portfolios. Yours, etc,
THOMAS O’CONNOR,
Caherush,
Quilty ,
Co Clare
A chara, It doesn’t hugely matter whether Alan Shatter knew on March 10th or on March 24th what was going on. If he knew on March 10th and did nothing, it is not good enough; and if he runs his department in such a way that it knew on March 10th and he wasn’t informed until March 24th, it isn’t good enough either. Is mise,
REVD PATRICK G BURKE
Castlecomer,
Co Kilkenny