Civil Liberties - Paddy Cooney lives on
ONE OF THE FEW distinguishing characteristics of Fine Gael in the 'sixties was its liberal image but this was seriously tarnished in Government.
Since returning to opposition the party has clumsily attempted to revert to its former liberalism but without much success.
FitzGerald handed the civil liberrties brief to one of the more promiising new recruits on to the Fine Gael benches, Jim O'Keeffe, but while he-has attempted to make liberal noises it is nonetheless clear that the party remains gravely compromised on the issue.
We interviewed O'Keeffe for Magill and he enunciated his basic policy: to maintain public order and the safety of the citizen and then to protect the constitutional rights of the individual very clearly in that order.
He regretted the necessity for a Special Criminal Court, but as he didn't have access to security files he couldn't say whether it should be aboliished or not. He said that the Offences Against the State (Amendment) Act (which allows Chief Superintendents to give their opinion in evidence on membership of illegal organisations) "went against the grain". But again he wasn't in a position to say whether it should be repealed or not. Fine Gael vigorously opposed this measure when Des O'Malley introduced it in the Dail.
Was he in favour of the 7-day detenntion introduced by the Coalition Government? It didn't work, he said, but he wasn't critical of it as a matter of principle. "I'd prefer if it wasn't necesssary" .
He felt disquiet about allegations about Garda brutality, both because of fear that some of the allegations might be true and because of the damage such allegations made to Garda morale and he felt that the allegations should be properly investigated through a full independent inquiry. Did he fault the Coalition Government for its failure to institute such an enquiry? "I am conncerned only with what has happened since I was elected to the Daillast June and I am not in a position to say what was the case or what should have been the case before then".
Was he in favour of a Garda Authoority? "I am favourably disposed towards one. In principle it seems a good idea". (Paddy Cooney has recently supported calls for one).
Was he in favour of an independent complaints tribunal on allegations against the Gardai? "A Garda Authority might be able to fill such a function if it was properly constituted".
Was there any aspect of the Coaliition's security policy, in so far as it relaated to civil liberties, with which he dissagreed? "I am not in a position to comment on policy while in Governnment for I was not in active politics at the time .•