Gardaí have good reason to fear politically sensitive investigations

FOREIGN Minister Dermot Ahern and MEP Proinsias de Rossa had a radio confrontation about extraordinary rendition during the week. To say they were arguing like a couple of fishwives would be an insult to women.

They interrupted and spoke over one another repeatedly and it was impossible to understand either of them much of the time.

The Foreign Minister insisted that gardaí have a right to inspect all planes at Shannon, so they were free to examine any of the 147 CIA flights that landed in this country.