Diversionary tactics

JUSTICE Minister Michael McDowell, on the Late Late Show last Friday night, tried to deflect attention from his and his Government’s failure to tackle gun crime. He blamed the judges and ended his diatribe by having a go at his former allies in Fine Gael. With friends like this, who needs enemies?

When in opposition, he and John O’Donoghue repeatedly attacked the then Justice Minister, Nora Owen. Anything that happened on her watch was a resigning matter — one instance being the photocopying of a warrant at Garda HQ when the original was lost.

Out of 21 recent gun death crimes, there have been prosecutions in only two cases and a conviction followed in only one.