Letter to the Editor - June 2nd 2006

Madam, - The case which has lead to the voiding of a section of law intended to protect children from sexual predators is another example of a failure to plan or anticipate outcomes.

Surely the Attorney General's office and the Department of Justice was aware that this case was coming before the Supreme Court. And it should have occurred to someone at some level that the court might rule in favour of the plaintiff. And it would be expected that some thought would have gone into how to address that outcome and its possible effects.

The simple issue of competence at the heart of this is that (a) people should have been aware an event was about to occur; (b) they had to have some idea of possible outcomes; and (c) they should have prepared some measures to deal with those outcomes should they arise. Call it anticipation or planning - I believe the term used in politics is "being on top of your brief".

The basic fact remains that the system has failed because of a lack of due attention by those in high office to what was going on around them. If not one single person of significance loses their job over this, then we are being told as bluntly as you like that no matter what happens, no matter how big the screw-up, no matter how dire the consequences, no one in this Government will ever take responsibility for anything that goes wrong. - Yours, etc,

DANIEL K. SULLIVAN, Beaumont, Dublin 9.

Something must be done!

I'm trying to compile a list of the various statements that ministers come out with that give the impression that something will be done about a specific issue but which in fact contains no commitment to act on the issue itself. Feel free to add to it.



1) We are identifying the problem

2) We are examining the problem

3) We have commissioned a report

4) We have received a report

5) We will be releasing the findings in due course.

6)We're awaiting the translation of the report

7) We are examining the findings of the report

8) We are reviewing the actions necessary in the light of the report.