Irish Examiner view: Gary Gannon is correct about Gerry Hutch's candidacy
Gerard Dublin Niall Hutch An In For Carson/pa Election Picture: Poster
Hutch has long been associated with organised crime in this country and is linked to an ongoing feud between criminal gangs which has resulted in several deaths.
In 2023, he was found not guilty of murder but some years ago he made a settlement with the Criminal Assets Bureau for €1.2m.
Even in today’s volatile political milieu, and allowing for sense of dissatisfaction among some sectors of the population with traditional politics, that not is a CV to recommend its owner for office, high or low.
This was brought home in vivid fashion by a contribution from Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon, who delivered a stinging attack on Hutch’s candidacy.
Mr Gannon claimed to have had to secure funding from the local authority for the Corinthians Boxing Club, which operates with Mr Hutch’s support.
Representatives of the boxing club quickly stated that it would not exist without Hutch’s generosity, but that does not undermine the fundamental point made by Mr Gannon.
When speaking of the local area, the TD said:
“It needs dogged work that happens when all the cameras turn off and we have to go into the community centres, we have to go into the youth clubs.
"Trying to find funding, trying to talk about the need, trying to get people into the community like drug-related intimidation workers. This is all the dogged work that has to happen.”
Gannon is absolutely correct to point out that it is “dogged work” — painstaking, unglamorous, but necessary — which makes the difference for constituents.
Gestures may grab a headline but improving people’s lives is harder work than posturing and pretending.
If Gerry Hutch wants to be a politician he should be treated as a politician, said Mr Gannon.
He might have added that to be treated as a politician, Mr Hutch should work like a politican.
It is now almost 12 months since Dublin was the scene of terrifying riots which made the city centre a no-go area for hours on end.
As misinformation spread online following an attack on schoolchildren in the city on November 23, 2023, rioters took to the streets and looted various shops in the centre of the capital before order was restored.
Earlier this week, An Garda Síochána appealed for people to identify 99 individuals whose images were captured from CCTV footage at that time, in order to include or exclude them from investigations; more than 50 gardaí have reviewed over 17,000 hours of such footage since last November.
This is a welcome development, as those exploiting such a horrific attack to foment violence and looting on the streets must be pursued to the fullest extent of the law, but it must be pointed out that this appeal is being made almost one year to the day since the riots occurred.
As a point of comparison, riots erupted in England after children were stabbed at a dance class in Southport in late July this year. As in Dublin, false claims made and spread
online helped to spark rioting; in England the unrest lasted until August 5.
However, by the same date, the police had already arrested almost 400 people, with some of those arrested appearing in court on August 6.
Such swift action shows that the authorities recognised the scale of the threat and responded appropriately.
English police responses to extreme events have not always been exemplary, to put it mildly, but the speed and focus shown here should serve as a model for dealing with the Dublin riots.
A large-scale garda operation with appropriate resources and funding would have expedited this process and shown the State will not tolerate any threats to our democracy.
Irish actor Paul Mescal, the toast of Hollywood, is on the publicity circuit — his starring role in the blockbuster sequel has seen him pop up in newspapers, chat shows, podcasts, and practically every media outlet imaginable.
At the Los Angeles premiere of the film this week, Mescal was reminded of his encounter with the king of England at the London premiere last week.
When the interviewer in Los Angeles asked if the meeting had been “wild” for him, Mescal said: “I’m Irish, so it’s not kind of on the list of priorities.
“It’s an amazing thing for Ridley [Scott, director] because I know how important that is for him, so to see his film celebrated in that context was pretty special.”
It is commonplace now to see Mescal described as a huge loss to Kildare GAA, given the promise he showed as a young footballer.
Any sense that that might be exaggerated vanished when the actor gave that answer: Anyone capable of a sidestep that smooth would have starred in any team sport.
Mescal is to be admired for his adroit response — honest without being insulting, and generous to his colleague.
It shouldn’t be forgotten either that, in his new film, he plays a hero of ancient Rome. Maybe he was reminding us subtly of Cicero’s old view of equality: However one defines man, the same definition applies to us all.