Drew Harris armoured jeep flung into the air at Garda HQ

cjmc wrote: »

Good. They shouldn’t accept one. I think given the nature of terrorism on this island and the part that northern/ British authorities played in promoting and participating in ‘the war’ , that its a national security issue to have him as commissioner . Does he know what the army rangers are doing etc ?

How is it a national security issue? Do you think he's feeding information to the PSNI?

Charles Ingles wrote: »

If course he is,
His loyalties are not to the free state.

So the Commissioner of An Garda Síochána is a spy for the PSNI.

Seeing as though the Republic isn't at war with Northern Ireland, what kind of information do you think he would be passing to the PSNI?

I have to say I find it bizarre that so many people are scoffing at anyone who takes issue with this and/or has suspicions of the PSNI.

It's an established fact that the RUC colluded with loyalist terrorism against Irish people on at least a few occasions, and it's an established fact that Drew Harris was a senior member of the aforementioned organisation before it became the PSNI. It is not established as fact, and it is indeed hotly debated to this very day, that the PSNI is entirely independent of its past incarnation as a truly reprehensible organisation, and it is widely believed that people who were in positions such as Harris' even after the RUC became the PSNI, have information about atrocities committed against Irish people which they have held back over the years.

None of these suspicions or objections to PSNI involvement in Ireland are unreasonable.

In that context, surely it's blatantly obvious that this incident was, at the very least, yet another example of Garda ignorance of optics and complete and total incompetence when it comes to the entire concept of public image and public relations.

Any suggestion whatsoever of illegal activity by the PSNI being facilitated by senior Gardaí is obviously - and rightly - going to cause consternation and controversy.

It's very obvious that some people desperately want to act as if only the IRA were "the bad guys" during the troubles - which, remember, only ended as recently as 1998 - and that any objection to or suspicions of unionists who held or hold positions of authority in Northern Ireland is fringe, crackpot conspiracy stuff at best or straight-up racism at worst.

This is not the case. People rightly and reasonably have questions about whether it is appropriate for individuals who served in an organisation which was entirely biased against the nationalist population and committed unspeakable acts of violence and oppression against that population, to serve in positions of authority in Ireland. And in that context, the idea that Drew Harris has not severed any "familiar" terms he has with the PSNI, and indeed might have allowed them to break the law in this country, is absolutely appalling.

Nobody who is objecting to this, is doing so unreasonably. It is an extremely serious situation of national sovereignty.

Get a life

bubblypop wrote: »

So I see the commissioner cannot comment on the fact that he had a PSNI armed escort into the south & all the way into Garda headquarters because of personal security issues!!
A get out of jail card......
Same old same old.

You can be damn sure that he won't be doing that again. Every single TD in the Dail would see the implications of one of this security detail doing something they shouldn't while in the South. A firm rap on the knuckles for Drew I would imagine. Job done - in the opinion of whoever leaked this within a clearly unhappy Garda force. Expect more of this undermining of Harris's position.
It remains to be seen if his appointment will have a negative or positive impact.

Johnny Dogs wrote: »

Is there a PSNI ombudsman and GSOC investigation going on into why the PSNI were armed here or what is the latest?