Penalty points Alan Shatter and Mick Wallace

it might put an end to Shane Ross' grandstanding. He must be the most self righteous, self opionated publicity chasing TD we have ever had the misfortune to elect.

Such a hypocrite.

I don't get this, are you not happy that Shane Ross, Mary Lou and McGuinness are actually informing the Irish people of what a shambolic system we have in many areas? We find out weekly now about corruption and sense of entitlement, about people dipping their hands in the cash till of Irish taxpayers incessantly. What difference does it make that Shane Ross is opinionated etc? Is he not doing us all a great service.

Do you really really believe that the gardai are capable of investigating themselves, and this applies not just to the gardai. I for one am grateful to those who shine a light on what is really going on.
 
In all of its big ticket issues in recent years PAC basically acts as the public theatre to work done by Civil or Public Servants in investigating areas of inefficient or wasteful spending. That’s not a criticism by the way, it’s right that PAC calls in the officials who did the investigating and calls in those who were under investigation and holds people accountable. PAC itself is not doing these investigations it’s merely acting on investigations already carried out within the Public Service.

But there’s no doubt it’s used as a vehicle for grandstanding. It’s a political forum for relegated politicians, up and coming politicians and politicians, who for one reason or another, are never going to be a Minister. So they milk it for all its worth to the benefit of their profile and agenda but not necessarily to the benefit of the work they’re purporting to do. Often the two cross over and genuinely useful work is carried out but sometimes the two diverge considerably and we’re left with very watchable TV but pretty wasteful use of everybody’s time (witness their decision to call in Irish Water – the real issue surely is not the cost of the tenders awarded under a competitive process (but which the media and public loved) but rather the fact BG got the gig on the basis of their expertise in these matters and the SLA with local authorities for 20 years)

Shane Ross is a prime example of this. He positions himself as being some sort of new broom or sheriff in town, ignoring the fact he’s been in the Oireachtas for 35 years achieving little other than a public profile. He ignores the fact that when he rants about waste and inefficiencies and the lectures about the behaviours of the Tiger years that wrecked the country, he was writing articles in the paper lauding Anglo and NIB and goading AIB and BoI as to how they were being left behind in this brave new world of financial wizerdery. He’s the personification of the Emperor with no clothes in my opinion.
 
.... PAC calls in the officials who did the investigating and calls in those who were under investigation and holds people accountable. .....

Holds them accountable how? They 'suffer' the public spotlight on them for a few days and then it all goes away and they continue as normal.
 
Well with the shocking news, time to continue a debate on Shatter?

The honourable thing that Shatter should have done is resign, if there was an ounce of probitiy in the current government he would be pushed!
 
Truly a corrupt country from top to bottom. Glad that Shatter is gone, but not one bit happy with the whole sorry mess. Fine Gael are a disgrace, the Garda Commissioner is a disgrace, Gilmore is a disgrace, the corrupt Gardai are a disgrace, the bullying Gardai are a disgrace and Shatter is a disgrace, even the manner of his leaving he couldn't do it with dignity.

Well done Garda McCabe and Wilton. Two fine upstanding honourable men.

Also well done Mick Wallace who has conducted himself with dignity thoughout, also well done Clare Daly and even Ming.

Lastly well done Michael Clifford of the Examiner. Excellent reporting throughout with no fear or favour.

As this is a money website I'll add this. I sincerely hope the next Minister for Justice throws out the catestrophic Insolvency legislation and starts from scratch. A travesty of legal drafting and incompetence.
 
Mick Wallace, Clare Daly and Ming might learn a few lessons from this resignation

Having said this, Alan Shatter had to resign.

Marion