Security issues fly under the radar

ON the day that terrorists struck the Twin Towers in September 2001, a British Labour Party press handler named Jo Moore emailed colleagues to share her bright idea that it would be a good day to issue press releases about bad news or unpopular policies.

Unlike the cynical Ms Moore’s tactics, there was no underhand stuff going on in Ireland. But two very important occurrences — which would be guaranteed front-page material in any other week — seemed to slip under the radar because of CJH.

The first was the discovery by cleaning staff in Shannon Airport of a US military prisoner, manacled and shackled, in a civilian aircraft that had stopped for refuelling.