People often say vision is lacking in Irish politics, but Rabbitte’s doomed Whistleblowers Protection Bill, first introduced in March of 1999, was genuinely visionary. Whistleblowers in this State who speak out against wrongdoing now have a wide range of sturdy protections against reprisals from their employers. Later this month, the European Parliament will debate proposals for a new continent-wide directive giving protection for whistleblowers. It is now almost impossible to fire genuine Irish whistleblowers, no matter the industry. The tourism authorities may as well have called their event Geandáil Ghasta, however, for this was effectively speed-dating on a grand scale for the tourism industry.

Source: The Irish Times April 05, 2019 04:30 UTC