Testy Mattie breathes new life into Shattergate

Just when we thought Shattergate had run out of puff, dramatic admissions forced from the justice minister saw questions about his suitability for high office splutter back to life.

For a man so loudly keen on everyone in the Dáil being transparent and open about their roadside brushes with the law, why did Alan Shatter decide to remain so quiet about his own?

The minister’s self-serving excuse for releasing confidential information passed to him by the gardaí in order to smear a political opponent was that not to have done so would have left him open to charges of suppressing facts and conducting a “cover up”.