W2C-012 Irish Times 2-1.txt
At times it was like a show trial By Joe Carroll

THE Fianna Fail faces told it all. The once sleek, confident Ministers slumped in their seats. The backbenchers seemed dazed as Albert and Bertie gave at times weird versions of who said what to whom and when.

The new Attorney General whose researchers are turning over forgetful Ministers and officials with clinical efficiency, was not in the chamber. But his version of what he found on the famous Monday, when Albert and his Ministers put together the speech which never mentioned the Duggan case and brought down the Government, is amazing.

Pat Rabbitte interjected that it sounded like a "psychiatric report".

As the AG put it, the Fianna Fail Ministers that day "were behaving in a very disorganised manner. No-one appeared to be in charge...Ministers came in and out at will. The confession was added to by the manifest tiredness of all concerned. I am informed that this was due to long hours without sleep."

The following night they were at it again in the small hours drafting Albert's gut-Harry-Whelehan speech. The AG was summoned from his bed at 3 a.m. The sight he saw at that time he passes over in merciful silence.

Albert seemed offended that it was reported that the AG "paid a private visit to my apartment in Ballsbridge to apprise me of the Duggan case. I wish to state categorically that the Attorney General never set foot in my apartment." One wonders if he ever will.

One after the other Fianna Fail Ministers stood up to account for their movements on the famous Monday. Michael Woods had the best alibi, although he did at one stage actually see the AG at the "loose, ad-hoc meeting".

Bertie had to sit beside Albert when he gave the fatal speech and hand over "appropriate replies", but "it was not my function to read them or analyse them. Just hand them over".

It was not a pretty sight to see these once self-assured Ministers acting at times as if they were the already-doomed victims at a Stalinist show trial, while their contemptuous accusers toyed with and taunted them.

Even Dick Spring, the Grand Inquisitor, was sorry for them. "We all make mistakes and none of us are more than human" but "it is time for those involved to step aside", he said chillingly. It was an eerie echo of the invitation of a former Taoiseach, Charles Haughey, to some other victims of circumstances to "stand aside".

Dick regretted "this sad end to what I believe was a potentially exciting development in Irish politics". But he could not "proceed with negotiations with Fianna Fail in good faith" after the Irish Times report was seen to be "essentially true".

Today there will be further interrogations of the luckless Ministers before a Dail committee. But Dick has seen to it that they are yesterday's men.

Bertie, the man who would be Taoiseach, sadly listed all the "mistakes" Fianna Fail had made over Harry Whelehan and the sequel to his appointment. "We have paid the price for those mistakes...but our conscience is clear." Now they will "willingly accept the people's verdict". But it is Dick's verdict which counts.
