The Celtic Scapegoat

I used to work as manager of one of a chain of stores in and around Dublin. If the MD ever went into a store and saw something he didn’t like, his reaction was always the same.

Right after giving the offending manager—yes, I’ll admit it was me a couple of times—a good bollocking, he would get on the phone to Head Office for a Memo of Terror to be sent out to all the other branches to make sure a Spanish-Inquisition-type process would ensue throughout the company.

Though he was a pain in the backside, I can’t really blame him for his actions, since his responsibility was to the whole business, not just one store.

The Gardaí in Donegal.

The clergy in the Diocese of Ferns.

The treatment of patients in Leas Cross.

Just three examples of things going seriously wrong. Applying my former boss’ logic, one would assume the natural course of action in each case would be to make sure the problem wasn’t widespread throughout the entire sector.

What happens instead? Tribunals and investigations, concentrating solely on the offending district, giving the remaining ones plenty of time to get their houses in order by whatever means necessary.

It seems Mr. Enda “Can He?” is planning to mount an election campaign on a ticket of integrity. Not a bad strategy considering all the storms the sitting Government have weathered over the years. He could do a lot worse than promise to turn over a few more stones when something similar comes to light in future.

One particular stone I’d like to see turned is how a Garda operation that was in existence for so long could make such a fundamental mistake as to execute a search warrant after its expiry date.