Problem? Keep schtum

IT IS quite staggering that even though the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority has known for over two years that holding tanks on many trawlers are up to 170% bigger than declared, it has kept that information quiet.

It has taken a whistleblower to tell this newspaper that millions of euro worth of catches might have been laundered through the system. More importantly, if the quantity of fish taken from the sea is underestimated, how can we be sure that levels are sustainable? The truth is, we can’t.

This is a depressingly familiar scenario. When problems arise in Ireland, politicians announce inquiries. On foot of inquiries, they appoint ombudsmen and other watchdogs to create the impression of oversight, but give those offices too little power and too few resources to actually effect change. When something goes wrong, the first instinct is to sit on bad news, not to share it, and it is all part of the conspiracy of neglect that infects every area of public life in Ireland, perpetuating a culture where no one ever takes responsibility for anything.