Moriarty Tribunal - GUBU.

The recent revelations at the Moriarty Tribunal must surely qualify as the stuff of GUBU. It seems that the tribunal’s legal team have been in possession of crucial information since October 2002 which should have resolved “the ownership issue”, but they chose instead to pursue a line of inquiry that appears to have completely discounted and concealed that information.

In addition, it seems the tribunal chairman has relied on a “phantom” letter, allegedly written by the Attorney general’s office, to support this particular line of inquiry.

All of this has extended the life of the Moriarty Tribunal, at significant extra cost to the taxpayer, and now raises major question marks over the credibility of any findings published by this 13-year old tribunal.

There may, thankfully, be some redress available to the hard-pressed taxpayer as the tribunal chairman, Mr Justice Michael Moriarty, has the power to refuse legal costs to any party who is deemed to have impeded the work of the tribunal. Indeed, he may levy additional costs on parties whom he deems to have caused the tribunal to incur unnecessary additional costs.

So, if a compelling justification for the actions of the tribunal legal team is not immediately forthcoming, Mr Justice Moriarty might demand a refund of the relevant legal fees paid to the tribunal lawyers involved in this debacle. If Mr Justice Moriarty himself has been a fully informed participant in this matter, he may also apply the same sanction to himself.

I would also suggest that, in the absence of credible justifications being forthcoming, none of the parties involved should ever again work for the state.

Who has the right to call for Cardinal Sean Brady's head?

Should non-practising catholics or those of other religious denominations, or none, have any right to call for the resignation of Cardinal Sean Brady or any other catholic prelate?

They certainly have a right to call for the gardai to investigate/prosecute possible breaches of the law, or to call for the removal of catholic clergy from roles in the educational system, but what business is it of theirs who holds office in the catholic church?

Obviously those who remain within the catholic church have such a right.

Cardinal Sean Brady & Amnesty International

I don’t know whether Cardinal Sean Brady should resign, or not.

However, I was surprised that Amnesty’s Colm O’Gorman was so quickly out of the traps in calling for the cardinal’s resignation, without allowing any time for an explanation or defence from the cardinal.

Kangaroo courts are surely anathema to Amnesty International?

So irrespective of the outcome for Cardinal Brady, Colm O’Gorman should now resign from his leadership role with Amnesty.

Johnny Ronan - How the other half lives!

When ordinary folk find a leisure activity overly distracting from the important business of earning a living we are invariably obliged to give up the distraction.

Johnny Ronan has chosen the alternative option – he’s giving up the business, rather than the distraction.

The rich certainly have a different way of operating.

Raising the spirits

Given the over-abundance of bad news these days, I applaud the Irish Times for adopting an innovative approach.

The inclusion of a birth announcement (Emily Rachel Lawlor, IT 6th March) in the midst of the death notices was a bold and welcome move that helped to raise the spirits. (Yes, I'm afraid the pun is intended.)