The loss of two commissioners would be worse than careless

The government’s big promises of reform in the Garda Síochána have proved a failure, and now it is supporting the very culture it sought to change

On taking over the troubled Department of Justice almost three years ago, Frances Fitzgerald promised a “new era of transparency” in the delivery and administration of what is the most vital of services to citizens in this democracy.

As another Garda controversy seems to have abated without answers, it is clear the minister’s promise to move beyond an era characterised by secrecy and a lack of accountability has yet to be realised.

Instead, ...