Shatter abusing privilege of the House

The former justice minister is still trashing the good name of the man who wrought his fall from grace,writes Michael Clifford

LAST Friday must have been a difficult day for Alan Shatter. The Legal Services Bill was going through the report stage in the Dáil. He had introduced the bill in 2011. Reforming the legal business to bring it into the 21st century was a key initiative of his when he served as justice minister, prior to his resignation on May 8.

He had gone where successive ministers had feared to tread, taking on a powerful vested interest, even though the business had provided him with a lucrative income before he dedicated himself full-time to politics. And now, here was his successor, Frances Fitzgerald, reaping the benefits of his labour. Not easy for a man of Shatter’s renowned self-confidence.