What happened to the democratic revolution?

Just over three years ago, Enda Kenny hailed the start of a new era in Irish politics that promised to sweep away the cronyism and hubris of the previous administration.

The cynics amongst us took it as just more hot air from a generation of politicians steeped in a culture of secrecy and selfishness. The events of the past days encapsulate a serious malaise at the heart of Irish society and nothing has changed.

The Garda commissioner resigns for ‘family reasons’ on the very day that the revelations of recorded calls to stations are made public. Amidst the furore Mr Shatter appears in the Dáil but only to answer questions on Defence and would only discuss the issues at hand later in the week. Earlier in the week, Mr Kenny issued veiled threats to his cabinet on talking out of turn regarding the commissioner’s comments on whistleblowers.