Ahern must untangle confusing web

WHEN is a debate not a debate? When it takes place in Dáil Éireann.

Charade would be a better word to describe Government arrangements for today’s parliamentary discussion on the Flood report’s exposé of corruption in high places.

Effectively, by ensuring that a series of anodyne statements will be read into the Dáil record, the Coalition has ruled out the cut-and-thrust of lively debate hoped for by most people in order to flush out new information about the circumstances surrounding the appointment of disgraced ex-minister Ray Burke to Cabinet by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.

Obviously, this tactic is intended to minimise further political embarrassment from the Burke scandal. Instead of a no-holds-barred session, the public will be treated to a carefully stage-managed exercise, giving Government spokesmen ample time to prepare answers to probing questions about the Burke appointment at a time when grave suspicions surrounded his activities.

Basically, Fianna Fáil and the PDs hope to draw Flood’s political sting. But with the lingering prospect of a boycott of the proceedings by Fine Gael and Labour, the tactic could yet backfire on the Government.

Arguably, the fact that Flood is the first investigation to confirm suspicions of bribery and corruption in politics, should be sufficient to warrant a more transparent form of debate. However, the Taoiseach is acutely aware of the potential for embarrassment if he has to face probing questions.

Contrary to Tánaiste Mary Harney’s patronising assertion that people were not really preoccupied with the technicalities of Dáil procedures, the public is intensely interested in how the Government reacts to what Mr Justice Flood had to say about links between corrupt developers and a senior politician.

So far, the PDs have not come out well from the Burke scandal. It is not good enough to say things would be different if Mary Harney knew then what she knows now. In the face of continuous and repeated suspicions about Ray Burke, the Government’s so-called investigation into the situation was utterly inadequate.

The Tánaiste’s willingness to accept bland assurances from the Taoiseach has caused public unease. Damage has also been inflicted on the party by Justice Minister Michael McDowell’s somewhat hysterical outburst over media concentration on Mr Justice Flood’s revelations.

Labour accuses the PD president of hypocrisy, having whipped up a media frenzy of his own during the general election when he promised to be the watchdog that would keep Fianna Fáil in its place.

In a similar vein, the PDs have been accused by Fine Gael of being willing to accept assurances about corruption allegations in order to serve their own personal advancement.

In the final analysis, questions continue to hang over Mr Ahern’s decision to elevate a party colleague who was then subject to persistent suspicions and whose corrupt activities have now been confirmed.

The Taoiseach’s claim to have dealt satisfactorily with the Burke controversy does not wash. To date, he has given three different versions of what he knew about the ex-foreign minister when he gave him the job.

Mr Ahern owes it to the people to clear up the confusing web of statements about this sordid affair.

He should do so on the floor of the House, answering questions fully and frankly in his own words, without relying on statements prepared by civil servants and spin doctors.