Coalition blind to big picture behind GSOC reticence

The Government’s rush to demand explanations from the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission as to why it didn’t tell them of its concerns that its offices were bugged is another example of the Coalition’s attempts to deflect attention away from its own responsibilities.

It misses the bigger picture: That the watchdog’s decision to ask a foreign private company to investigate whether it was the victim of spying — without telling either the Garda Síochána or the Minister for Justice — is a sign of just how little trust the vital independent body has in several institutions of State.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s initial reaction yesterday to reports that GSOC was bugged was not to reassure the public that those responsible would be found out.