Watchdogs may have last laugh on Shatter depending on their bite

The penalty points scandal saw Alan Shatter be so slippery he was able to obscure its real point in an attempt to avoid penalty himself.

The spectacular back-blast from Mr Shatter’s drive-by attempt at character assassination may have left his expansive ego a bit bruised, and forcing a feeble not quite “sorry” from his lips, but on he sails as minister responsible for the gardaí, legal system, and defence forces, seemingly without a bother.

Luckily for Mr Shatter, the Dáil lacks three things: a political class with standards; an opposition with bite; and a junior Coalition party with a moral compass — as even one of the above could have done for him.