Three years after its inception Newstalk reveals that a mere 6 ASBOs or Anti-Social-Behaviour- Order have been issued by the courts, 3 to adults and 3 to children.
Newstalk’s Chris Donoghue joins Ivan in studio to outline why the scheme is not working…..
Chris Donoghue, Newstalk
The Defence Minister, Willie O’Dea, is facing a motion of no-confidence after admitting to giving a sworn statement to the High Court which he later withdrew, saying it was false. It’s a serious crisis for the Minister and the Government with the Green Party’s votes needed for Minister O’Dea to survive.
Here’s the timeline of events….
- March 9th 2009 – Minister, Willie O’Dea, gives a taped interview to the Limerick Chronicle newspaper in which he made a number of statements about Limerick Sinn Fein councillor, Maurice Quinlivan. He said, “Do you know the brothel they found in his name and his brother’s name down in Clancey Street?” This is absolutely false and Quinlivan had no involvement in the business.
- March 10th 2009 – The Limerick Cronicle publishes the interview with Minister O’Dea, the above quote is not published but one asking Mr Clancey “is the brothel still open?” was.
- April 20th 2009 – The High Court refuses a request from councillor Quinlivan for an injuction against Minister O’Dea from making the allegations again. The judge throws the request out because Willie O’Dea emphatically denied ever making such a claim. In a sworn affidavit the Minister stated, “I most categorically and emphatically deny that I said to Mr Dwane (journalist) that the plantiff was a part-owner of said apartment.”
- July 2009 – Councillor Quinlivan lodges a defamation action against Minister O’Dea in the High Court. His lawyers order the discovery of documents and uncover the tape recording.
- Dec 21st 2010 – Minister O’Dea withdraws his affidavit and agrees to pay the councillor damages. The Minister’s Statement to the court stated “Mr O’Dea accepts that all such implications and statements were false and defamatory of Mr Quinlivan and withdraws them in their entirety and apologises to Mr Quinlivan both for making them and for denying having made them in court injuction procedures brought by Mr Quinlivan to prevent their repetition.”
- February 13th 2010 – The Irish Times highlights the case.
- February 15th 2010 – The Taoiseach accepts Minister O’Dea’s version of events and says the Ministerial Code has not been breached.
- February 16th 2010 – Willie O’Dea tells the Dail he made a mistake with the affidavit and asks, “Is it in even the slightest bit resonable to imagine that I would have deliberately or maliciously made a false statement about an interview I gave knowing that the newspaper and journalist had a tape recording of that interview?”
- February 16th 2010 – Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny says he will table a motion of no-confidence in Minister O’Dea next week.
- February 16th 2010 – Labour Justice Spokesperson Pat Rabbitte says he hopes Green Party leader, John Gormley, will show his previous high moral standards when it comes to the vote.
