Now that the new Government is installed in office, the roles played by the Irish Times and the Mahon Tribunal in the Election should not be forgotten. It may be tempting for those directly concerned to draw a veil over the entire saga, but actions that have been described as a threat to the electoral process should not be allowed to fade so easily from public memory.

As an exercise in representative government the current General Election campaign is a shambles.  Instead of a debate about the future direction of government we have the second round of a controversy that should never have had a first round.  If Taoiseach Bertie Ahern had any questions to answer about his personal financial arrangements fifteen years ago, the place for him to do so was and is before the Mahon Tribunal.  Instead we have a distracting witchhunt against a politician with a long, well regarded record of service to the state.