O'Donoghue's response to taxi disruption `contradictory'

The Garda response to the disruption by taxi-drivers was an "operational matter and one for professional police judgment", the Minister for Justice told the Dail. Mr O'Donoghue told the Opposition during a special notice question that "it is not something with which I would interfere or seek to direct".

During a tetchy but sometimes humorous debate, Mr O'Donoghue said there was no point making comparisons between demonstrations such as that of the taxi-drivers and "other forms of criminal behaviour".

The Labour leader, Mr Ruairi Quinn, said it was contradictory for the Minister to say it was an operational matter for the Garda and to make an operational judgment by saying that action by the Garda could exacerbate the situation.

Fine Gael's public enterprise spokesman, Mr Jim Higgins, asked if the Minister did not accept that "it involves naked anarchy and a complete disregard for law and public order? Why is such special consideration given to taxi-drivers? This is not an orderly protest but an illegal blockade."

Mr O'Donoghue said that "the Garda have to be pragmatic and do not wish to exacerbate the situation. It must be clear to the deputy that it would be a mistake to do so. It is not a case of the Garda giving special consideration to any one group but of gardai on the scene being pragmatic."

Mr Quinn said the Minister's response was a classic "Pontius Pilate" reply from someone who trumpeted "zero tolerance". He added that it was "manifest nonsense" for Mr O'Donoghue to say the Garda's response was a "pragmatic approach" to lawbreaking "on a scale of anarchy". The Minister suggested that the only "zero which applies is the zero number of additional taxis put on the roads during the rainbow government".

Mr Emmet Stagg (Lab, Kildare North) suggested that Mr Ivor Callely (FF, Dublin North Central) had "filleted, both personally and politically" Minister of State Mr Bobby Molloy in media comments about deregulation.

Mr Pat Rabbitte (Lab, Dublin South West) said it was clear "Fianna Fail indicated to the Garda Commissioner that he should take it easy in terms of applying the law, as it is the taxi-drivers who were led up the hill by Fianna Fail".