Abuse of power - Will politics ever change for better?

BY any standard, the alleged behaviour of Cork South West Deputy PJ Sheehan, who reportedly threatened to damage the career of a garda who prevented him driving his car from the Dáil because he was “extremely intoxicated”, is unacceptable of an elected representative.

The acolytes of a lingering nod-and-wink culture in politics may be tempted to portray the Fine Gael deputy as merely “losing the run of himself” in the early hours of the morning of July 8, the night TDs broke up for their long summer holidays. But considering that Mr Sheehan was so intoxicated he was unable to stand properly that’s a gross understatement.

The affair smacks of an era when politicians believed they could influence the career of any garda who had the temerity to bring them to book. Apocryphal stories tell of gardaí being banished to remote posts off the west coast for daring to challenge certain politicians.