Ross move not even as subtle as stroke politics

CHALLENGES can make you stronger if lessons are learnt; and clearly they haven’t been, as far as political interference with the running of An Garda Síochána is concerned. When the Transport Minister takes it upon himself to parade outside a Garda station – to claim credit in his own backyard for its reopening – don’t be too surprised if someone complains about smelling a rat.

Shane Ross insists that this was not ‘stroke’ politics, and he’s right. It was far too blatant and embarrassingly self-serving to be deemed worthy of the black arts.

Last night, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar was being utterly disingenuous in playing down this row. He attempted to shrug it off with: “Look, anyone who reads the Programme for Government will see that there were negotiations that were contained in that programme that we would reopen six Garda stations on a pilot basis.” Decisions on the opening and closure of Garda stations must be left to the Department of Justice under advice from the Garda.

That is why a senior garda in the person of Assistant Commissioner John O’Driscoll was appointed to look into the station closures. If the Stepaside reprieve wasn’t a stroke as Mr Ross insists, then he should do the Lotto this weekend, as his luck is definitely in.

The odds on his station being selected as the one to reopen out of a list of 139 due for the chop, just while the Government was desperately in need of his support, could not have been more fortuitous.

The decision was all the more brazen given – as we reveal today – that the reopening of Stepaside was recommended despite a “significant” fall in crime in the area.

Let us not forget that in recent years two Garda commissioners have retired prematurely in a blaze of controversy. The role of Government players in their departures has been heavily criticised.

The reputation of the Garda has already been undermined by a spate of scandals. Given that we have a Garda Authority and an Inspectorate, there can be no excuse for meddlesome partisan interference from external actors.