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Whistleblower: Maurice McCabe

Sycamore Tree

RTE are doing a two part documentary on Sgt Maurice McCabe. I think it should be a must watch for people. This honourable man was nearly destroyed by a corrupt Garda management for trying to do the right thing.

His courage and bravery should be rewarded by the state but I think any future whistleblowers will think twice before trying to highlight bad practice in the Gardaí.

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mattser

AllForIt wrote: »

When I was in uni a few years ago as a mature student we had to mingle at the outset with students who were embarking on degrees in Social something or other which I guess gets them jobs in Tulsa etc. They were embarrassingly thick I recall, certainly for university level. I sense we have a problem with the low importance level we both expect in the role and the ppl we put in those roles and I suspect there is another scandal to come in relation to those areas.

I'd say it's a safe bet the subject of basic manners wasn't part of your degree course.
Then again, it's something one should have learned long before third level.

Road-Hog

smurgen wrote: »

I think that we've only scratched the surface on alot of the mccabe stuff yet.i really don't find the explanation of the tusla error satisfactory. And the cancelling of the points. The i.t systems of the state sound frighteningly open to abuse and manipulation.

This thread is becoming a eulogy to McCabe can he really be presidential material, whiter than white..purer then driven snow..?

Mrsmum

Road-Hog wrote: »

This thread is becoming a eulogy to McCabe can he really be presidential material, whiter than white..purer then driven snow..?

You sound a bit pissed off with him ? Like to share why ??

swarlb

Mrsmum wrote: »

You sound a bit pissed off with him ? Like to share why ??

I think it's the thing... "If he's that good, there must be something bad about him"

davidmarsh

I'd look it in terms of, if they had anything whatsoever on the man, they'd have buried him.

I'd vote for McCabe.

Honesty
Intelligence
Courage
Integrity

Sounds like a good President to me.

He'd walk it too.

jammiedodgers

spurious wrote: »

I really find it difficult to believe that out of all the cases Tusla handle, that the one they make this cock-up on (cutting and pasting between reports? Is that their normal way of doing business?) just happens to be one could put everyone against Mr McCabe.

Qui bono? Those who wanted him to shut up.

I'd be checking everyone in that department and their extended families for connections to Gardai.

A line that interested me from the documentary was (paraphrasing here) "all the mistakes that were made and not one worked in Maurice's favour."

Plumbthedepths

Road-Hog wrote:

This thread is becoming a eulogy to McCabe can he really be presidential material, whiter than white..purer then driven snow..?

Not sure about the whiter than white, but there is a bit of Teflon about McCabe despite all the muck thrown at him including several attempts by a few disgruntled members here nothing stuck. Move along lads nothing to see, ye failed. McCabe won and rightly so justice for once prevailed.

Auguste Comte

An Ri rua wrote: »

"I am the Accounting Officer".

I wonder would that mean that he could be held criminally responsible for any tax fraud, misappropriation of state funds or other financial offences that might have occurred in Templemore on his watch?

There's more than one way to skin a cat.

Auguste Comte

Road-Hog wrote: »

This thread is becoming a eulogy to McCabe can he really be presidential material, whiter than white..purer then driven snow..?

If there was anything in his background to hang him on AGS wouldn't have had to lie and falsify tusla reports to try to shut him up.

Floppybits

smurgen wrote: »

I think that we've only scratched the surface on alot of the mccabe stuff yet.i really don't find the explanation of the tusla error satisfactory. And the cancelling of the points. The i.t systems of the state sound frighteningly open to abuse and manipulation.

I don't even think the surface has been scratched by the McCabe stuff. I can only imagine what has been hidden by the AGS and other institutions of the state.

jmayo

trashcan wrote: »

Meh, Leo was after Endas job at the time and this was just part of his strategy in positioning himself. As ever, he had one eye (at least) on the media.

On the Tuzla thing, it really is bizarre. If they honestly believed what was on their file, why on earth did they not act on it sooner? Is that how they'd normally deal with children they deem at risk ?

Remember how Tusla, or their predecessor, left foster children in a home where a teenager had allegedly raped them, on the proviso that he not be left near them.
And yes he had raped them and continued to do so.

The fookers that made that decision should be named, shamed and have a rusty poker shoved up their holes.

Sorry, but it is cr** like that makes my blood boil about this fooking country.

tayto lover wrote: »

I keep being drawn to the Late Late Show years ago when Gay Byrne was the presenter. Haughey's and Lenihan and a few others were being interviewed. They told the story of being in a pub late at night when the local garda came in and took out his notebook. He was greeted by the words "do you want a pint or a transfer". The audience were in fits of laughter at the politicians scaring the sh1t out of the garda.
I couldn't believe the reaction of the audience and the neck of the politicians to tell the story live on tv.
I often thought of this and about another poor sod of a Garda called Geary?that the Sunday World reported on in the early 1970's who dared cross a politician by chasing him out of a pub late at night. He was transferred all around the country with his wife and young family until he hadn't a bean left. He resigned from the Garda as every time he settled in a new town or village he was then sent to the opposite end of the country.
Things like this are not new.

Ahh the bold scumbag sean doherty who eventually turned on haughey and brought his rein to an end.
The same scumbag ex garda that had the RUC arrest the victim of his brother in laws attack the day of the court case in Cavan.

AllForIt wrote: »

Going by the doc it was E.Kenny that recognised the seriousness of the allegations in the Dail as presented to him via M.Martin so it wasn't Leo that was the first to take pressure off McCabe but Kenny and Martin. Not that doing the right thing in public office should warrant a special award, just a recognition of it.

Remember the furore when Kenny sent someone around to Callinan's house to tell him resign.
Never mind the old Vinnie Brown "bottle of whiskey and revolver", he should have sent him a noose.

Pintman Paddy Losty

Am I the only one who thinks mccabe came across as a bit of a workplace snitch? Obviously you'll rub people up the wrong way if you are ratting on everyone who makes a mistake.

Suckler

Pintman Paddy Losty wrote: »

Am I the only one who thinks mccabe came across as a bit of a workplace snitch? Obviously you'll rub people up the wrong way if you are ratting on everyone who makes a mistake.

Yeah who wants accountability. Especially in those who we entrust upholding the law and order. What could go wrong?

A few pissed up cops would cheer up any suicide am-I-rite?

[Deleted User]

Pintman Paddy Losty wrote: »

Am I the only one who thinks mccabe came across as a bit of a workplace snitch? Obviously you'll rub people up the wrong way if you are ratting on everyone who makes a mistake.

Tbh, I did have that impression of him when the penalty points stuff was made public.

But after watching the documentary, the whole rat thing his colleagues put up on social media and the child abuse allegations, that showed the other Garda to be far far worse in their mindset than a complete jobsworth. McCabe was found to be correct about the drunk Garda at the suicide investigation and about the stuff that went on in Bailleborough. As much as he was a jobswoth, the things he highlighted were not on.

Mrsmum

Pintman Paddy Losty wrote: »

Am I the only one who thinks mccabe came across as a bit of a workplace snitch? Obviously you'll rub people up the wrong way if you are ratting on everyone who makes a mistake.

There's mistakes and there's whopping wrongdoings. But even taking what you say as fair comment, do you not think their reaction to his snitching, as you call it, was extreme to totally sick proportions ? Their behaviour has surely overtaken his by a millionfold.

dulpit

Pintman Paddy Losty wrote: »

Am I the only one who thinks mccabe came across as a bit of a workplace snitch? Obviously you'll rub people up the wrong way if you are ratting on everyone who makes a mistake.

I don't think they were mistakes he was calling out though. They were deliberate decisions taken by his colleagues that were objectively wrong.

Auguste Comte

Pintman Paddy Losty wrote: »

Am I the only one who thinks mccabe came across as a bit of a workplace snitch? Obviously you'll rub people up the wrong way if you are ratting on everyone who makes a mistake.

Do you think he should have ignored some of his colleagues joyriding around drunk in an official garda car while they were off duty, interfering with crime scenes while drunk etc?

givyjoe

Pintman Paddy Losty wrote: »

Am I the only one who thinks mccabe came across as a bit of a workplace snitch? Obviously you'll rub people up the wrong way if you are ratting on everyone who makes a mistake.

Yep.

Floppybits

Auguste Comte wrote: »

Do you think he should have ignored some of his colleagues joyriding around drunk in an official garda car while they were off duty, interfering with crime scenes while drunk etc?

I don't understand why some folks have a problem with him reporting the colleagues that turned up drunk to a suicide, interferred with the scene and then drove off drunk in a Garda car?

In most jobs I think that would be a sackable offence. Imagine the uproar if the drunk Garda had've hit someone while they driving around drunk in the Garda car?

Sardonicat

Pintman Paddy Losty wrote: »

Am I the only one who thinks mccabe came across as a bit of a workplace snitch? Obviously you'll rub people up the wrong way if you are ratting on everyone who makes a mistake.

The mistake of not showing up for rostered duty?

The mistake of showing up at a suicide scene, pissed, off duty and driving a police vehicle that you shouldn't have access to?

"Whoops, sorry about that boss. "

This isn't popping off to collect the kids from school while on the clock cos it's quiet and you won't be missed. This is dereliction of duty and abuse of power and interfering with evidence. Is that the kind of carry on you are prepared to tolerate from the people charged with our safety and security who have the power of arrest? You don't think they should have been reported?

Are you for real?

McMurphy

Pintman Paddy Losty wrote: »

Am I the only one who thinks mccabe came across as a bit of a workplace snitch? Obviously you'll rub people up the wrong way if you are ratting on everyone who makes a mistake.

Drunk and interfering with stuff at a suicide scene, travelling away from same in an unmarked cop car.

Widespread systematic abuse, and wiping of the penalty point system by those who are supposed to ensure the safety of is on the roads.

Widespread incompetence, and inadequate policing.

This wasn't robbing a few biros or A4 sheets from the stationery office paddy.

Up the yard please

[Deleted User]

McCabe could have arrested the 3 Garda at the scene which would have led to dismissal for the driver at least.

On one hand he was wrong not to arrest a drunk driver at the scene. On the other hand he did his colleagues a favour.

Floppybits

Strawberry Milkshake wrote: »

McCabe could have arrested the 3 Garda at the scene which would have led to dismissal for the driver at least.

On one hand he was wrong not to arrest a drunk driver at the scene. On the other hand he did his colleagues a favour.

He could have done that but probably didn't want to cause a scene at an already distressing scene. Could you imagine what would have happened if he had gone to arrest them at the scene?

davidmarsh

Maurice McCabe seems a decent man. I'm pretty confident he went about everything the right way and had a chat with his colleagues first like anyone would. He used to go for drinks with some of them ffs.

There was obviously a lot we didn't hear. I doubt very much they were all friends on a Monday and he was reporting them on the Tuesday.

Auguste Comte

davidmarsh wrote: »

Maurice McCabe seems a decent man. I'm pretty confident he went about everything the right way and had a chat with his colleagues first like anyone would. He used to go for drinks with some of them ffs.

There was obviously a lot we didn't hear. I doubt very much they were all friends on a Monday and he was reporting them on the Tuesday.

Mick Clifford's book on the subject is well worth a read for anyone interested in this issue. It fills in a lot of the blanks.

elperello

Pintman Paddy Losty wrote: »

Am I the only one who thinks mccabe came across as a bit of a workplace snitch? Obviously you'll rub people up the wrong way if you are ratting on everyone who makes a mistake.

See the Oath copied below.

16.— (1) On being appointed, each member of the Garda Síochána shall make before a Peace Commissioner a declaration in the following form:

“I hereby solemnly and sincerely declare before God that—

• I will faithfully discharge the duties of a member of the Garda Síochána with fairness, integrity, regard for human rights, diligence and impartiality, upholding the Constitution and the laws and according equal respect to all people,

• while I continue to be a member, I will to the best of my skill and knowledge discharge all my duties according to law, and

• I do not belong to, and will not while I remain a member form, belong to or subscribe to, any political party or secret society whatsoever.”.

(2) The words “before God” may be omitted from the declaration at the request of the declarant.

archer22

Auguste Comte wrote: »

Mick Clifford's book on the subject is well worth a read for anyone interested in this issue. It fills in a lot of the blanks.

Second that, it tells even more of the hell they subjected him to..and not just from the Guards but from the other organs of the state also.

Captain Obvious

Pintman Paddy Losty wrote: »

Am I the only one who thinks mccabe came across as a bit of a workplace snitch? Obviously you'll rub people up the wrong way if you are ratting on everyone who makes a mistake.

I would have thought the same going by the reports alone. He didn't come across as a good sergeant. More interested in throwing probationers under the bus than helping them. And I do feel sorry for the probationers that got stuck in the middle.

But if you look at things from a longer perspective he was pushed to it by the senior members. Sure, you can be angry at being ratted out for making a mistake but these weren't mistakes that were being made. It's not a mistake to take a patrol car while drunk. It's blatant misconduct. And not only should you not expect someone to cover you for this kind of behaviour, you should be ashamed for putting them in the position that they have to make that call in the first place.

jmayo

Pintman Paddy Losty wrote: »

Am I the only one who thinks mccabe came across as a bit of a workplace snitch? Obviously you'll rub people up the wrong way if you are ratting on everyone who makes a mistake.

Maybe stick to regaling us with stories of your legendary exploits with the opposite sex.

And no you are not the only one that thinks he is a snitch, a lot of our AGS members think similarly it seems.

Either way it says more about you than McCabe.

spurious

Floppybits wrote: »

Imagine the uproar if the drunk Garda had've hit someone while they driving around drunk in the Garda car?

There would have been an off-duty Garda witness to swear the person they hit ran at the car at speed.