Crossing the line

The Irish public has been left hanging when it comes to getting a full explanation about who knew what and when in the phone-tapping scandal of the 1980s, writes Ryle Dwyer.

THE telephone tapping of journalists that was first exposed in Dec 1982 is best remembered for the controversy surrounding the leadership of Charles Haughey. He denied any knowledge or involvement in the tapping and his justice minister, Seán Doherty, initially supported those protestations of innocence.

The media prematurely wrote off Haughey politically, but he confounded his critics. He not only survived but after a period in opposition became taoiseach again in 1987.