Minister of State Finian McGrath has withdrawn comments he made about ‘political policing’ just hours after he defended them and called for the Garda Commissioner to address the issue. Mr McGrath first made the comments, in relation to the enforcement of new drink-driving laws, in an interview with a Sunday newspaper. “While every member of the Independent Alliance is entitled to voice their views, it is only right that Minister McGrath withdrew those remarks,” he said. In a statement later, Mr Flanagan said that he “fundamentally disagee[s] with Finian McGrath that there’s a climate of what he calls ‘political policing’. I’d ask that question to Minister Flanagan,” he said.

Source: The Irish Times March 31, 2019 10:46 UTC