Gardaí are not always a ‘force’ for good

TO make a hames of one smear was unfortunate, to make a hames of two was careless.

Twice in the last nine days, unofficial, and potentially damaging, information from the gardaí was inaccurate. In both cases, the information was used as a political tool. Wielding the power, pulling the political strings, were members of An Garda Síochána. That is not healthy for any society that values democratic norms.

There are three bodies in the State that have access to the details of the lives of citizens. The Revenue Commissioners have sight of people’s tax affairs, and, with it, much detail on the finances of the bulk of the populace.