Ireland much more tolerant of dubious practices by politicans

A FORMER government minister and his ex-wife were sentenced to jail on Monday in the UK for swapping penalty points while, in our little Republic, allegations that TDs’ penalty points were mysteriously wiped create barely a ripple of controversy.

The sordid tale of Chris Huhne and his embittered ex is more soap opera than Greek tragedy but we could learn something about accountability and consequences from the sorry saga.

Former climate change secretary Mr Huhne was bullish in 2011 when allegations, that he had swapped speeding points with his then wife in order to avoid a driving disqualification a decade earlier, first surfaced.