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MINISTER FOR JUSTICE Alan Shatter has paid tribute to Martin Callinan after he stepped down from An Garda Siochána amid increasing controversy.
In a statement, Minister Shatter thanked Callinan for his “long and distinguished career” and said that his legacy will be his contribution to fighting crime in Ireland.
The Minister made no mention of the circumstances in which Callinan took early retirement, following eight weeks of simmering controversy after he referred to garda whistleblowers as ‘disgusting’. Several government ministers in recent days had called on Callinan to retract and apologise for his remarks.
Just hours after Callinan stepped down, the government announced a major investigation into phone calls being taped and recorded at garda stations throughout the country.
The Taoiseach told the Dáil this afternoon that he will not ask Minister Shatter to resign over his own remarks on whistleblowers. Enda Kenny said the Minister will speak about the controversy on Thursday.
The statement from the Minister for Justice reads:
I wish to pay tribute to the Garda Commissioner, Martin Callinan, on his retirement from An Garda Síochána.
As Commissioner and throughout his very distinguished service in the Force he has made an enormous contribution to fighting crime and I believe that this contribution will be seen as a legacy of which he can be very proud and for which the community he served are in his debt.
The high reputation of An Garda Síochána has been gained down through the years through people’s experience of dealing with members like Martin Callinan, often at times of great difficulty. I believe, at these challenging times for the Force, the men and women who serve in it will continue to enjoy the respect of the community they serve, often at great risk to themselves.
I extend to him my sincere thanks for his dedication and service to the State throughout his long and distinguished career.
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Time for you to go as well Alan
Over to you Enda!!
I’d not expect Enda to do anything to one of the people who saved his position as leader of FG in the great heave against him. Enda looks after his friends regardless of what they do. I’d say Labour might do something but then again they washed their hands on this before the Commissioner resigned…..
Varadkar?
The timing of this new Garda Phone tapping debacle is just too suspicious. It looks like it would be the last thing FG would want, but then Noonan of all people turns up on the SixOne news willing to talk about it no problem …….Noonan ?? he is never available for interviews apart from the budget… normally!! Where was Shatter?? Why was the Minister for Finance there answering questions for Shatter ……Its all a time buying exercise for Shatter’s benefit to give him time to survive .
You are right. This taping story is just a media distraction. This government are the absolute masters of this kind of propaganda. No better time to launch a major investigation! While it is serious in nature it will be
..pressed submit in error. Said enough anyway. It’s pointless in any event. Things won’t change in Ireland.
Disgusting !
Banana republic .
said more or less the same thing when me and my daughter were watching it @martin Byrne
Wasn’t Noonan in Justice when the practice began?
Sure is time to go disgusting
Alan shatter must have sh*t on every single member of the Government ..
Why else is he still Minister for justice ????
The Dept of Justice is a F**KING joke with that Clown still in charge..
Shatter says:
‘ for which the community he served are in his debt’
A small but powerful community it appears, one which features such prominent members as Shatter himself. and so is it any wonder that Shatter adds:
‘I extend to him my sincere thanks for his dedication and service to humiliation in falling on his sword for me at the end of his long and distinguished career.’
Filthy shades of Schatter lol
On his retirement ? Good man shatter you BULLSHI ….g liar
Crime at unprecented levels, Garda numbers down, a scandal regarding GSOC, whistleblowers, abuse of penalty points system and lack of investigation into serious crime and Shatter calls the former top cop a man who did a great job! Just like the regulators and bankers. Ni wonder the country is in a mess; I fear it will even get worse.
Shattered indeed. Alan Liar Shatter must go and his boss Enda Kenny.
Opposition in the Dail weak on the debate. If they can’t put the boot in now…
Crime is not at unprecedented levels. It has actually reduced since 2007.
How do you know that JD?
I mean, who compiles the statistics?
The CSO, Paul.
From what Alan?
@JD
You do of course refer to the type of “crime” that the Gardai consider “crime” has reduced,
As in crime by people with nthside Dublin accents but the REAL “crimes” of bailouts cronism bribery corruption in all of the establishments goes on uninterupted, as it always has and always will as long as we have such a moronic and docile populace to allow it,,
ye see
THEY KNOW WE WONT EVER GET OFF THE COUCH,,,, and thats the key to it all
We as a Society need to seriously reavaluate what we consider Crime to be
And while were at it also whats considered Violence should be next on the list,,
Is dying on a hospital trolley while YOUR government hands billions to PRIVATE CORPORATIONS after they said it wouldnt not equate to violence ?,,,the end results the same ….
Why wasn’t Shatter in the Dail today?
He was sitting beside Enda… Earlier
Ok then. Why wasn’t he in the Dail WHEN HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN?
He was shitting beside enda more like it
He was answering questions on defence, as scheduled.
He was afraid
Hes an irresponsible shitter
We now have a Toaiseach who won’t give the country a live debate of any substance and a minister of justice who slinks out of Dail chamber when a major development for his department is announced. They wheel Noonan out for 6 o’clock news to stutter his way around this new development and Garda commissioner resigning. And all he can say is he knew nowt til today. GSOC highlighted this last June. What and when did shatter know about this?????
I find it disgusting that he stepped down without as much as apology for what he called his members for actually doing their job and reporting a crime from within moral must be low in the force now ! The garda have a hard enough job without their own boss attacking them . .
Jesus he’s one deluded mother f*cker!
RTÉ News: Six One, oh if only this could be subject to the laws of perjury,: Noonan, “I didn’t/don’t know”,!! Ya lying BlueShirter,ya.!
Defamation, at least!
Trust in the Gardai can only be restored by Mr Callinan either apologising or explaining why that apology is not warranted..
Sulking of into retirement does nothing for his reputation,
Leo did not make his speech without Enda’s permission, Callanan was pushed and Shatter will come into the Chamber on Thursday and give one of his half assed speeches and will carry on regardless.
@Jim – he did
Shatter will do his acting as trained in lawliar fashion. Anyone who watched the Devils Advocate understands this.
Early retirement?!! So he didn’t resign?!
A small but significant difference.
It’s a big two fingers to us all
Here’s a conundrum for the FG/ LAB and FF diehards.
This is the second minion to take a bullet for this arrogant little coward. How many more before he takes one himself. Equally sickening is FFs political point scoring on the issue when the dogs in the street know they wouldn’t behave any differently .
Que the head scratching as to what colour thumb to give this post.
Should be Shatter going as well the guy is an absolute cowboy. Complete farce after farce and still shatter remains in place…. Kenny is the most gutless taoiseach to date
Kenny .. He’s Weak, under confident, and needs to go, along with Shatter.
Mmmnnnn. I must look back and read the Minister’s statement when Jojn Wilson ‘retired’.
Rot continues regardless…what a pathetic farce it’s becoming….
These are the people we blindly allow in charge. We continue to just sit back and allow ourselves to be cheated and treated like this while people all over the world unite and prove their worth. They believe, they act and we simply don’t. Please say I’m not alone in thinking this. Can we cop on already…
Kenny, Shatter, Callinan are all low life vermin – nothing wrong in paradise in their eyes until someone blabs. Then they react. Lying corrupt fcukers all three of them. Shame the election is not this year, their blue shirts would be covered in blood.
Wow we what a corrupt little nation. Let’s nail it Commissioner knew what was going to come out and ran for the hills. Hope he has a chalet and a merlot for shatter who will be joining him
Soon. Blind loyalty is a dangerous thing take note Enda before the house comes down around your ears
Shatter be a man of reality not fiction step down
He’s a lawyer, his entire world is a world of fictions.
Sad reflection on the Commissioner.
He could not apologise to the whistleblowers who did this Country a great service.
Why?
Because he (wrongly) believed that the whistleblowers must be “loyal to the force” rather than tell the truth!
Sad!
The truth will always out!
And this Shatter creep is dishing out Irish passports like confetti,question is are they all above board,i don`t trust him foe one.
shatter has no pride in himself,no shame in himself ,,just two fingers to everyone and everything decent
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