The Government is in free-fall in run up to the adjournment of the Dail on Friday. The Taoiseach takes the hit today; the Tanaiste every day. Caught up in the maelstrom of politically-related events, reminiscent of the dying days of the Fianna Fail/Labour Coalition in 1994 when Mr Harry Whelehan was appointed to the High Court, are very significant questions of fundamental judgment for Mr Ahern and Ms Harney which have profound implications for contemporary standards in public life.
Counsel for the Moriarty Tribunal, Mr John Coughlan, has posed the most serious challenge to the Taoiseach's authority to claim that "the past is the past", with yesterday's revelation that the current leadership of Fianna Fail withheld information from the tribunal. The property developer, Mr Mark Kavanagh, made a contribution of £100,000 to Mr Charles Haughey in Kinsealy on June 15th, 1989, the day of the general election. Mr Ahern raised "a query" about Mr Kavanagh's donation in 1996 when it was brought to his attention by former Fianna Fail Senator, Mr Eoin Ryan.
Yet it was only last week, when Mr Kavanagh's contribution became public, that Fianna Fail told the tribunal about the 1996 internal inquiry. It was only last week also that the tribunal was informed of the existence of a second list of donors, those "anonymous per An Taoiseach", and the back-up documentation for the first list.
The withholding of such information from the tribunal raises serious questions for Mr Ahern. It happened during his stewardship of the party. His assertion that Fianna Fail had established the tribunal and that Fianna Fail has given full co-operation to the tribunal has been the party mantra for the past three years. Was he misleading the public? Fianna Fail's lawyers have asked to come before the tribunal today to pave the way for the Taoiseach's appearance in the next two days.
The Progressive Democrats hold that this is "a matter for Fianna Fail", like the nomination of Mr Hugh O'Flaherty to the European Investment Bank. The Minister of State, Ms Liz O'Donnell, repeated yesterday that it had been a wrong decision from the start of "misplaced political patronage". If it would be in the public interest, as she said, to have the decision "neutralised", why can't she prevail upon her own party to withdraw their support from the nomination? Both Fianna Fail and the PDs are speaking out of two sides of their mouths about Mr O'Flaherty's nomination. The whip was removed from Fianna Fail members of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Justice, Equality and Women's Rights but they voted en bloc to defeat the Labour motion to call, or compel, him to give evidence. The Fianna Fail parliamentary party will debate the decision today (wed).
In the midst of the maelstrom of current events, the Tanaiste's ill-judged comments have led to the indefinite postponement of Mr Haughey's trail on charges of obstructing the McCracken Tribunal. The Taoiseach is to appear at the Moriarty Tribunal. The Coalition parties are treading on quicksand, so volatile is the political environment around them. They have lost control of events outside of Government. They have lost touch with their backbenchers and public opinion. Is it appropriate, as Mr John Bruton has asked, that they will not be answerable to the Dail for their actions from Friday?