And Another Thing

The resignation of the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture and Food Trevor Sargent last week was the latest in a series of astonishing own goals to hit the political system. There appeared general sympathy for Sargent in the political world - and an acceptance that he is a man of dignity, respect and high standards. And, of course, the manner of his departure, unlike the tawdry, drawn out affairs of former Ceann Comhairle John O'Donoghue and ex-defence minister Willie O'Dea, also stood him in better stead. News that Sargent is to hand his €47,000 severance package to charity is also an indication of the man's credentials. However, having said all that, to this viewer, there appeared a glaring inconsistency between his comments in the immediate aftermath of his resignation - and subsequent media revelations. The media's apparent respect for Sargent may have been the reason why this discrepancy was not explored to any significant extent. Speaking outside the Dáil on Tuesday evening, February 23, Sargent indicated he had tried to deal with the case "in as low-key a fashion as possible, not hiding it, but writing to the garda in question, not to the superintendent". Mr Sargent has said the details of the case only "came back" to him after earlier representations he made in the case were revealed in the Evening Herald yesterday. However, the following day, journalist Kevin Doyle (who is, incidentally, from Ferbane and who has worked freelance for the Westmeath Independent in recent times) revealed another letter which indicated that only eight days previously (February 15) Sargent had written directly to a Garda superintendent on the issue asking him to "keep an eye" on the case. Speaking later on RTE's News At One, Sargent said that what had "come back" to him when he heard about the original Evening Herald report was the detail of the case. Following that letter, he had received a call from the superintendent "essentially advising" him that it would normally be the case that if someone were to contact the station in relation to a matter, it should be done through the superintendent directly. The February 15th letter arose after the constituent in question came to his clinic again. "He was afraid that his appearance in court, if he didn't feel protected, would be a risk to his safety and it was in that context that I thought it advisable to let the Superintendent know of his concerns for his safety." This, however, stands in stark contrast to what he said outside the Dáil on the evening of his resignation. Why did he state he had contacted a garda and not the superintendent, when in fact just eight days previously he had written to a superintendent on the matter? Why did he say the case had only come back to him on reading the Herald story, when, again, eight days previously, details of the case were clear enough for him to write that letter to the Superintendent? In the end of the day, this may be only splitting hairs. The man resigned promptly and accepted his mistake. Equally, Sargent seems to have been motivated by a concern for his constituent - and not by any personal gain. But the details of the story don't fit well - and the media failed to explore this to any great extent. Would O'Dea or O'Donoghue have been given such latitude? Any threat to AIT must be resisted Last week, we revealed the belief of AIT President Ciarán " Catháin that an ongoing review of the country's higher education system was unlikely to recommend the continuation of 14 separate institute of technology sites. "There are 21 third-level institutions including 14 IoTs, coming out of that review, there won't be 14 institutes of technology," he predicted. He clarified that there may continue to be 14 separates sites of education, although not 14 different governing institutions. Prof " Catháin went on to outline why he believed there was a very strong case to retain AIT in its current format. Nevertheless, his comments should be viewed as a wake-up call across the midlands, and particularly in Athlone. The AIT is possibly the most vital body in the town. There are currently 5,700 full and part-time students on its register - creating a huge economic benefit. And it's no coincidence either that Athlone boasts the largest cluster of IDA-supported companies in the midlands. With third level access rates in the midlands among the country's lowest, it is an absolute necessity to retain the region's only third-level facility. Whilst there is no suggestion that the institute has anything but a bright future ahead, even a shared management structure with some other institute would have a negative impact. AIT is one of the success stories of the third-level sector, and has become so thanks, in no small measure, to its go-ahead management. The midlands needs an autonomous third-level education centre. Taoiseach Brian Cowen knows more than most its impact on the midlands region. The Taoiseach regularly calls for the midlands to adopt a united front; to dispense with what he calls the county jersey syndrome and to realise a new industry in one part of the region is a success for the entire area. Similarly, any diminution of AIT's self-governance and independence can only be interpreted as a significant loss for the region. The time may soon come for those with influence and clout to stand up and defend AIT.