Road Safety Authority chairman Gay Byrne has suggested Minister for Justice Alan Shatter “should be able to sniff the air” in terms of public opinion about his position following yesterday’s resignation of Garda Commissioner Martin Callinan.
There were several calls yesterday for Mr Shatter to resign, and while Mr Byrne stopped short of giving his own opinion on the matter, he said the public “probably feel as strongly about Alan Shatter” as they do about Mr Callinan.
“I think Alan Shatter must have a politician’s feeling and Enda Kenny must have a politician’s feeling and they should recognise that the vast majority of people in Ireland feel sorry about Martin Callinan but feel it’s right that he should resign because there’s nowhere else for him to go – and they probably feel as strongly about Alan Shatter,” he said.
“Whether he gets that message or not, I do not know. I think politicians generally should be able to sniff the air and see what way the wind is blowing – and I think Alan Shatter should be able to do that – or Enda Kenny should be able to do that for him.”
Mr Byrne also defended the character of Mr Callinan and said his resignation could have been avoided had he issued an apology for his controversial “disgusting” remark.
“I am extremely sad,” said Mr Byrne. “He has always been the essence of good manners, courtesy and graciousness to me . . .
“I’m very sad to see a good man brought down.”
Transparency International Ireland chief executive John Devitt said he welcomed Mr Callinan’s decision to resign yesterday, and called on Mr Shatter, to “correct statements he made in public about Sgt Maurice McCabe and retired garda John Wilson”.
“The record needs to be set straight,” he said.
