Welcome ruling

THE High Court judgment concerning the legitimacy of the Oireachtas inquiry into Judge Curtin’s alleged misbehaviour is most welcome.

This is important because elected representatives have to be responsive to public opinion, but in cases such as this there is a danger that they would be exposed to public hysteria rather than public opinion.

Such hysteria - whipped up by a vocal minority, elements of which have no qualms about telling barefaced lies - could intimidate public representatives on the Oireachtas committee into behaving less than fairly with Judge Curtin.