TD gives glowing character ref to convicted child abuser - while remaining anonymous!

[Petaljam]

What exactly is the argument for a TD using their status as a public figure to back up a character reference for a convicted criminal while also remaining anonymous for the public at large who naively think he represents their interests and not those of criminals?

Isn’t that contradictory?

I’m not sure if there’s been a thread about this case before. I can’t see one, but in any case this is about the issue of character references more than the case itself.

https://m.independent.ie/opinion/commen ... 56738.html
Here’s an archived version: https://archive.ph/D5oxk

It also blows my mind that the only Irish media person that I can find who is sufficiently horrified by this to write a piece on it is Brenda Power. They really are a bunch of cowardly followers aren’t they? If the convicted man had been a priest it would have been front page news that a TDs had given him a glowing character reference. And rightly so.

But there’s a double standard here: there are still certain protected categories if you want to abuse children in Ireland, but it’s no longer the priesthood. Do people really see the world in such a black and white manner that they even see child abuse as a right-left issue to weaponise?

[Brabantje]

I think we can be pretty sure this isn't a member of the opposition, or we'd know the name. Still, regardless of who this was, politicians should in principle not provide character references in criminal cases full stop.