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Garda Phone Recordings Scandal
The Garda phone recordings scandal was a political scandal in Ireland resulting from the widespread practice of recording phone calls to and from Garda Síochána police stations from the 1980s to November 2013. The practice was revealed in March 2014. The scandal unfolded while Fine Gael and the Labour Party were in office, though the time period involved also covered successive governments during which Fianna Fáil, the Green Party and the Progressive Democrats were all in power. Among those implicated in the scandal were the Taoiseach Enda Kenny, justice minister Alan Shatter, Secretary General of the Department of Justice Brian Purcell, Secretary General of the Department of the Taoiseach Martin Fraser, attorney general Máire Whelan, Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan, as well as Independent News & Media. Multiple commentators invoked the term GUBU (grotesque, unbelievable, bizarre and unprecedented) to describe the Garda phone recordings controversy. GUBU is an acronym p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Irish Phone Tapping Scandal
On 18 December 1982, ''Irish Times'' security correspondent Peter Murtagh broke the news that the telephone of Bruce Arnold and Geraldine Kennedy had been tapped officially with warrants signed by former Minister for Justice Seán Doherty. This was revealed after the November 1982 elections which the outgoing government had lost. Incoming Minister for Justice Michael Noonan ordered an investigation and on 20 January 1983 announced findings that the previous Fianna Fáil government had authorised illegal phone tapping of the journalists Geraldine Kennedy, Bruce Arnold and Vincent Browne. Seán Doherty signed warrants for the taps while Minister for Justice. Normally phone tapping was used to investigate serious crime or threats to the security of the state but the reverse happened in this case, Minister Noonan announced. History Tapping The phone tapping warrants were initiated by Séan Doherty in discussion with Deputy Garda Commissioner Joseph Ainsworth. The phone of Br ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
GUBU
The acronym GUBU, standing for grotesque, unbelievable, bizarre and unprecedented, refers to a strange series of incidents in Ireland in the summer of 1982 which culminated in a double-murderer, Malcolm MacArthur, being apprehended in the home of the Attorney General, Patrick Connolly. The words were paraphrased from a comment by then Taoiseach Charles Haughey, who called it "a bizarre happening, an unprecedented situation, a grotesque situation, an almost unbelievable mischance". The corresponding acronym was coined by Conor Cruise O'Brien, and both it and the phrase are still occasionally used in Irish political discourse to describe other notorious scandals. In January 2011 some ministerial resignations from the Government were described by its opponent Michael Noonan as "... bizarre, grotesque and to some extent unbelievable." Background The murderer, Malcolm Edward MacArthur, born 17 April 1945, was a well-known eccentric character in Dublin social circles and never hel ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Micheál Martin
Micheál Martin (; born 16 August 1960) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician serving as Taoiseach since January 2025, having previously held the position from 2020 to 2022. Martin served as Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence (Ireland), Minister for Defence from December 2022 to January 2025. He has been leader of Fianna Fáil since January 2011 and a Teachta Dála, TD for Cork South-Central (Dáil constituency), Cork South-Central since 1989. He previously served as Leader of the Opposition (Ireland), Leader of the Opposition from 2011 to 2020 and held various cabinet offices under Bertie Ahern and Brian Cowen. Born in Cork (city), Cork, Martin initially worked as a teacher before entering politics. He was elected to Cork City Council in 1985, and served as Lord Mayor of Cork from 1992 to 1993. In 1989 Irish general election, 1989, he was first elected to Dáil Éireann for Cork South-Central, a seat he has re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Minister For Justice, Home Affairs And Migration
The Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration () is a senior minister in the Government of Ireland and leads the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. The Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration has overall responsibility for law and order in Ireland. The current Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration is Jim O'Callaghan, TD. He is assisted by two Ministers of State: * Niall Collins, TD – Minister of State for International law, law reform and youth justice * Colm Brophy, TD – Minister of State for Migration History From 1919 until 1924 the position was known as the Minister for Home Affairs. In 1997, the functions of the Minister for Equality and Law Reform were transferred to this Minister, and it was renamed as the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, a title which it retained until 2010. The minister held the title of Minister for Justice and Equality from 2011 to 2020. As of 2020, the position is known as Minister fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Data Protection Commissioner
The Office of the Data Protection Commissioner () (DPC), also known as Data Protection Commission, is the independent national authority responsible for upholding the EU fundamental right of individuals to data privacy through the enforcement and monitoring of compliance with data protection legislation in Ireland. It was established in 1989. Role and operations The independent role and powers of the Data Protection Commissioner are as set out in legislation in the Data Protection Acts 1988 and 2003. These Acts transpose the Council of Europe 1981 Data Protection Convention (Convention 108) and the 1995 EU Data Protection Directive (Directive 95/46/EC). However, the latter was then replaced by the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which is directly applicable upon Members States such as Ireland. Investigation of complaints Complaints received from individuals who feel that their personal information is not being treated in accordance with the data protection ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Attorney General Of Ireland
The attorney general of Ireland () is a constitutional officer who is the legal adviser to the Government and is therefore the chief law officer of the State. The attorney general is not a member of the Government but does participate in cabinet meetings when invited and attends government meetings. The current attorney general is Rossa Fanning, SC. Overview The office and functions of the attorney general are outlined in Article 30 of the Constitution of Ireland. The attorney general has always been a barrister rather than a solicitor, although this is not a requirement for the post. In cases where a barrister nominated by the Taoiseach to be the attorney general was not a senior counsel at the time, the government of the day has made them one first, as occurred in the cases of John M. Kelly and John Rogers. The attorney general advises the government on the constitutionality of bills and treaties, and presents the government's case if the President refers any bill to t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
RTÉ News And Current Affairs
(; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on 31 December 1961, making it one of the oldest continuously operating public service broadcasters in the world. It is headquartered in Donnybrook in Dublin, with offices across different parts of Ireland. RTÉ is a statutory body, overseen by a board appointed by the Government of Ireland, with general management in the hands of a committee of senior managers, currently an interim leadership team, headed by the Director General. RTÉ is regulated by Coimisiún na Meán. It is financed by the television licence fee and through advertising, with some of its services funded solely by advertising, while others are funded solely by the licence fee. The current network consists of 4 main TV chan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Department Of Justice, Home Affairs And Migration
The Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration () is a Department of State (Ireland), department of the Government of Ireland. It is led by the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. The department's mission is to maintain and enhance community security and to promote a fairer society in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Departmental team *Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration: Jim O'Callaghan, Teachta Dála, TD **Minister of State for International law, law reform and youth justice: Niall Collins, TD **Minister of State for Migration: Colm Brophy, TD *Secretary General of the Department: Oonagh McPhillips Overview The mission of the Department of Justice is to maintain and enhance community security through the development of a range of policies and high-quality services which underpin: *The protection and assertion of human rights and fundamental freedoms consistent with the common good *The security of the State *An effective and balanced approach t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Garda Whistleblower Scandal
The Garda Whistleblower Scandal involved the revelation of corruption and malpractice within Ireland's national police force, the Garda Síochána, and the subsequent mishandling of the complaints that had been made by serving members of the force. In 2014, material was revealed by two whistleblowers of the Garda Síochána, Maurice McCabe and John Wilson, to the Garda Confidential Recipient. The disclosures, and the handling of the disclosures, led to the resignation of Ireland's Minister for Justice and Equality, Alan Shatter, and the Garda Commissioner, Martin Callinan. It also led to the retirement of Callinan's successor as Commissioner, Nóirín O'Sullivan. A subsequent investigation into the handling of the complaints found that McCabe was subjected to a smear campaign orchestrated by senior Garda officials, namely, Garda Press Officer Dave Taylor and former Commissioner Martin Callinan. The scandal had huge ramifications for both the Garda Siochana and the Irish gover ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Garda Commissioner
The Garda Commissioner () – officially known as the Commissioner of An Garda Síochána () – is the head of the Garda Síochána, the national police force of Ireland. The Garda Commissioner is appointed by the Government of Ireland (Cabinet), on the recommendation of the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration. The Commissioner reports to the Minister for Justice, in charge of the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, of which the Garda Síochána is a state agency. The Garda Commissioner sits on the Irish Government's National Security Committee (NSC), and is responsible for Ireland's domestic state security apparatus. The current Garda Commissioner is Drew Harris, former Deputy Chief Constable of the PSNI, who took office on 3 September 2018. History Michael Staines became the first Garda Commissioner in February 1922, when the force was founded as the Civic Guard. Traditionally, the Commissioner is the highest-ranking police officer in the s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mick Wallace
Michael Wallace (born 9 November 1955) is an Irish politician, former property developer and former Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Republic of Ireland, Ireland for the South (European Parliament constituency), South constituency from 2019 to 2024. He is a member of Independents 4 Change, part of The Left in the European Parliament. He was a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Wexford (Dáil constituency), Wexford constituency from 2011 to 2019. Entering politics in 2011 following the post-2008 Irish economic downturn, Wallace was considered one of the most eccentric and unconventional figures in Irish politics. Wallace gained a reputation for anti-establishment and Left-wing populism, left-wing populist views, and became a frequent guest on the political debate show ''Tonight with Vincent Browne''. In 2012, it emerged that during his time as a property developer, Wallace's company owed €2.1 million to the state in unpaid value-added taxes. Since 2012, Wallace has had a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Independent (politician)
An independent politician or non-affiliated politician is a politician not affiliated with any political party or bureaucratic association. There are numerous reasons why someone may stand for office as an independent. Some politicians have political views that do not align with the platforms of any political party and therefore they choose not to affiliate with them. Some independent politicians may be associated with a party, perhaps as former members of it or else have views that align with it, but choose not to stand in its name, or are unable to do so because the party in question has selected another candidate. Others may belong to or support a political party at the national level but believe they should not formally represent it (and thus be subject to its policies) at another level. In some cases, a politician may be a member of an unregistered party and therefore officially recognised as an independent. Officeholders may become independents after losing or repudiating a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
