"Michael McDowell puts the blame squarely on organised crime."

Maca puts the blame squarely on Michael McDowell.

You're the Minister for Justice Michael, sort it out.

Sacking him would be a good start and then banishing him to live on Rackall or something cleaning up tern poo!

McDowell peddles in fear and, unfortunately, you appear to be a customer Mick.

Ireland has for decades had one of the lowest murder rates in the world, well below 2 per 100,000. There haven't been more than 55 murders in a single year in the Irish Republic and I'll wager with you that 2005 will be no different.

The figure in 2002 was 52 and in 2003 it was 45, going down to 36 in 2004.

A 33% rise still brings us to below the figure for 2002 or 2001.

Basically, if six hoods decide to top each other in this 12 month period, we have a 16% increase.

I don't doubt that organised crime needs to be tackled and it is a problem but McDowell is merely cranking up the fear stakes as part of his Operation Anvil ploy to scare the D4 bunnies into voting him in again.

How better to do this than organise a state-sponsored Junkie shoot and how better to deflect from the deaths than to say we are all in grave peril?

I don't doubt the stats.

Met McDowell at Lansdowne Road at a Leinster HCM a few months back........... He looks like Karl Rove.

It would be interesting to see how many of these murders were committed by foreign nationals.

The decline in serious crime is welcome, and is almost certainly the result of lower rates of mugging, burgalies etc, as a result of tackling poverty.

George,

You are right that the Republics rate is off a very low base compared with most countries but Micks flagging the 35 % increase in a year is a fair and timely warning that all is not well.

There is the self-cancelling hood phenomenon but something else I've noticed raised by Keith which doesnt seem to figure in the reportage is that there's also a foreigner thing ; a lot of those involved (and, indeed, of those charged with their murder ) were not from these parts ; certainly a disproportionate % relative to population share.

Anyone got a handle on those numbers on that front?

BTW I'm not trying to make any kind of racist point and I dont believe its imagination.

How better to do this than organise a state-sponsored Junkie shoot..?

Seriously, George... put the tin foil hat back on.. and step away from the keyboard.

D'Oracle,
the murder rate was constant at around 25 a year from 1970 to 1994 when in within a year it nearly doubled. It has hovered between 45 and 55 ever since.

Could be a correlation with the start of the Celtic Tiger and the start of net immigration (there have been quite a few murders in the non-national community alright).

It could also be that the ceasefire released a lot of weapons and "personnel" into the criminal underworld, leading to a realignment of power structures (fueds to you and me).

Peteb,
It's a bit hot for tin foil, even indoors.
If McDowell can use wild hyperbole, why can't I? What's good for the goose and all that.
When he talks of dealers in death, I find it amazing that when he brings up the international drugs scene he doesn't mention the Americans handing over Afghanistan to the Warlords, who have, in a heartbeat, turned it into the world's top supplier of heroin. Maybe they could send some of their Colombian drugbusters there.