IN THE popular film, Groundhog Day, the main character is forced to go through the same series of events over and over again. Yesterday was that kind of day for De Rossa.
The Social Welfare Minister and leader of Democratic Left was taken on a journey through his life and times and when he reached the end he had to start all over again, but this time with a less sympathetic guide.
His first cross examination came at the hands of one of his own lawyers, Mr Paul O'Higgins SC, and the general consensus among the groundlings afterwars was that he had done well for himself. But after several hours' questioning of the Minister by Mr Patrick MacEntee SC, from the other side, Independent Newspapers were the ones with the broadest smiles.
Mr De Rossa told the court he left the IRA in 1960, got married and started a family. "I even at one stage tried to sell encyclopaedias." He described himself as "a fairly minor figure" in Sinn Fein, working away quietly on the ground in Finglas. His first interview on either radio or television took place the night he was elected to the Dail In 1982.
At this stage he was "catapulted, if you like, onto the national political stage". Within six years the obscure activist had become leader of the Workers Party, the new name for Official Sinn Fein, a post he held for four years until the 1992 breakaway led to the foundation of Democratic Left.
Mr De Rossa's voice lowered and almost broke as described his feelings on the morning of December 13th, 1992, after he read Eamon Dunphy's attack upon him in the Sunday Independent. He was "stunned" at what he felt was "a deliberate attempt to destroy me He was particularly incensed when the article said he should get the "benefit of the doubt"
Mr De Rossa had unsuccessfully sought an apology. He did not want money for himself this could be given to charity. If the article were true he would "not be a person suitable to be a member of the Government" but should be brought before the courts and imprisoned.
Mr De Rossa's powers of recall were tested again and again throughout the afternoon by Mr MacEntee. Counsel was interested in names.
He wanted to know who were the members of the Workers' Party ard chomhairle when Mr De Rossa became part of the leadership in 1982. Mr De Rossa protested that it was 14 years ago: "My memory for that kind of detail is not that good."
Mr MacEntee persisted - he would settle for the six most important officers of the party. The witness was closely questioned on the relationship between a the WP and the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Mr De Rossa said the WP's main concern was to wean the CPSU away from supporting the Provisional IRA. Others in head office were keen on developing the relationship and forging formal links but Mr De Rossa was not much interested in "mumbo jumbo".
Mr De Rossa was not enthusiastic about discussing the Repsol printing and publishing company which shared a headquarters with the WP and was controlled by a number of WP members. He was reluctant even to name it but Mr MacEntee persisted, as he generally does. Mr De Rossa finally named Repsol but insisted he did, not have any great knowledge of, or interest in, its activities.
There were other questions about membership of what Mr MacEntee called the WP's "politburo" and the composition of its permanent staff in head office. Disciplinary procedures were also of great interest to him but Mr De Rossa indicated this was largely a matter for the party's general secretary at the time, Mr Sean Garland. Mr De Rossa said he did not know who had shot his former comrade and leader of the breakaway IRSP, Seamus Costello.
Mr MacEntee kept up the questioning "Who shot the man who shot him?" and further "Who shot the man who shot the man who shot him?" Mr De Rossa's counsels objected to the nature of the questioning and Mr Justice McCracken told Mr MacEntee: "You've made your point."
The trial resumes this morning.