There’ s a theory among people in the media and PR that, if you make your claim about someone first, that’s what matters. It’s of little or no importance what people may say in defence of themselves – the public will remember your initial allegation and forget the rest.
Maybe that’s what made a recording I listened to yesterday so interesting. It was of an interview conducted by RTÉ’s Morning Ireland programme with Peter Madden of the Belfast legal firm, Madden and Finucane. Mr Madden’s clients, four people who’ve been accused of many things, have been made an offer of a meeting with Enda Kenny. However, Mr Madden has told them not to take up the Taoiseach on his offer. Why not?
Well, Mr Madden said, the Taoiseach has clearly his mind made up on the matter. He has stated as fact that Mr Madden’s clients were members of the IRA. This, Mr Madden points out, is an unproved allegation, a political stunt, since his clients in fact had been acquitted of that very allegation.
Further, Mr Madden said, in the prosecution papers it’s clearly stated that Mairia Cahill had written to the IRA Army Council. This was a fact ignored by the famous Spotlight programme which aired Ms Cahill’s allegations . In the letter Ms Cahill made clear one thing: “I believe the Army’s (IRA’s) intentions were honourable”. Not something, I’m sure you’ll agree, that fits neatly into the Spotlight narrative.
Mr Madden also noted that two of his clients had worked for years in the Falls Women’s Centre on behalf of abused people. Would his clients be taking legal action? Yes, certainly against Spotlight. “If this is not a cover-up, I don’t know”.
Now those people who know me will know that I rarely say “I told you so”. (No, Virginia, not because I’ve usually got it wrong.) But I’m going to yield to the temptation this time, to remind people of my central point on RTÉ’s Prime Time last week. It was, in the face of opposition from Noel Whelan, that Enda Kenny, Micheal Martin, and Peter Robinson were all acting, in their reception of Mairia Cahill, as though her case were proven and those she accused found guilty. The opposite is in fact the case. These people had been acquitted and except you reject the corner-stone of British justice, must be presumed innocent. Now at least one respected legal opinion is with me, to the point where they plan to take legal proceedings against those who have publicly presumed otherwise.
The only question in my mind now is, will Mr Madden take legal proceedings against the Taoiseach, who allegedly stated in the Dail that his [Madden’s] clients were members of the IRA? Now that would be an interesting case. Especially if Madden and Finucane decided to summon Micheal Martin and maybe Peter Robinson into the dock alongside him? After all, besides innocent until proven guilty, there’ s another key element in any self-respecting justice system: everyone, no matter how eminent, is equal before the law.
Wouldn’t Kenny be protected by ‘parliamentary privilege’, Jude?
As for Spotlight, it will be interesting to see what happens. Mr Madden also mentioned the ‘Sunday papers’, I wonder if there could be action against one in particular in the not-so-distant future…
I have a feeling he said same outside the Dail. Certainly Martin voiced his heartfelt feelings outside. And of course PR would rather eat his own liver than enter same.
but this whole episode was only ever about political point scorin against sinn fein will every abuse victim get to meet the party leaders and be given unlimited media time
The only regret, Esteemed Blogmeister, which a penitent Perkie felt after tuning in to the Peter Madden interview is that the resident rotweiller was not on duty for Morning Ireland.
Instead, for some reason, possibly unfathomable, they sent that Great Anomaly, Gavin Jennings, out to bat. Anomalous, because he is the only current affairs interviewer in RTE who is cursed with that rarest of Donnybrook, Dubln 4 attributes, basic good manners. Interruptions, of the ignorant variety, are absent from his pocket dictionary. Instead, he has this utterly disconcerting habit of actually allowing his guests to speak for themselves and of not trying to browbeat them into something resembling a shambles of incoherence.
The regret is not that Cathal Mac Coille (for it is he – the resident rotweiller !) would have ‘done a number’ (as the vulgar vernacular has it) on Peter Madden but rather would he have been shown up to be what he in fact is: a rotweiller with rubber teeth. Not quite the macho madra he likes to fancy himself as, even as he growls and snaps and snarls into the morning consciousness of the Free Southern Stateen.
Most mornings in Ireland, anyway.
The elastic, synthetic nature of his, erm, canines has been apparent for a long time for those with badminded ears to hear. Like the persistent Perkie, who has refused all exasperated entreaties to ‘get a life’ and instead, doggedly insists on keeping his golfcoursed ears cocked for these verbal trivialities.
Two recent examples of the rubbery nature of the rotweiller’s morning molars ought to suffice: like when he fawningly cosied up to Johhny ‘John’ Giles and fell into spaniel-like step with his guest (honoured) in the use of the word ‘football’ rather than the more natural ‘soccer’, the now politically incorrect word both of them grew up listening to on Liffeyside.
The other interview involved the use of the D-name. D for Diarmuid, the name of an Irishman who had been murdered in Melbourne. Long before the end of the conversation, the rubber-toothed rotweiller has taken to pronouncing the D-name as ….Dermot.
That one with the name of ‘Cathal’ should descend to this kind of downundering is difficult to fathom. Not least from one who has been called’ ‘Cattle’ more often on air than the Tennessee ploughboy, Eddy Arnold crooned ‘The Cattle Call’ from the stage of the Grand Ole Opry in the Ryman Auditiorium.
But then, the D-name is one that is a cause of particular problems for most Irish wireless workers. There’s a chap called Wooly on Newstalk FM for instance who can never quite get his tongue around ‘Diarmuid’. Instead it is Dermot Connolly this and Dermot Connolly that. For the same Wooly, getting his problematic Portlaoise tongue (or should that be his Maryborough tongue?) around such d-names in the, erm, Premiership – as Zbigniew is no problem. That would be d for doddle. That’s a Polish name. Portuguese names are the same, no probs: hence, Jose is pronounced as Jose with a J with specific care, rather than with a H.
Tis all enough, to give even the patient Perkie, an acute pain in his jole betimes.
But to return to the Peter Madden tour de force: one can speculate if the brightest star in the firmament of the Free Southern Stateen commentariat was tuned in. Difficult to believe Fintan O Toole (for it is he !) was not. For RTE is the broadcasting wing of The Unionist Times, is it not, FOT?.
WB Yeast, the self raising poet, once famously opined that ‘truth comes dropping slow’. So, also, does truthiness. Ditto with Tuttiness. How quickly then, will the Fruti Fintan take to absorb the AM interview with PM? And respond accordingly?
Sadly, a lugubrious Perkie is prone to take the long view. For time tends to move with a somewhat glacial deliberation in TUT. As may be observed from this example, plucked at random.
In 1917, during the reign of terror, often bizarrely called The War of Independence, when Tomas Ashe starved himself to death, a rather sniffy letter appear in the august pages of The Unionist Times on Liffeyside. From a Dr. James Ashe in the morally superior ‘hood of Merrion Square pointing out that he was ‘in no way’ related to this ‘criminal’.
Fast forward, some twenty seven glacial years later, to the y. of Our Lord, 1944 and a certain Dr. James Ashe found himself in the dock of Green Street Court House on a charge of involvement in ‘an abortion cartel’. From which he was dispatched to the same chokey, Mountjoy, as his erstwhile no-relation namesake, Tomas. For five years, penal servitude.
Cue a letter from a sister of T. Ashe pointing out to the tut, tutters of TUT that she was,in fact, no relation of this ‘criminal’, the Doc in the dock.
Now, there are some mischievous malcontents who maintain that it will at least another 27 years before hysteria repeats itself on the sniffy side of Liffeyside.
Needless to remark, Perkie malgrelui, is not amongst them. Perish the very t.
You know Jude, I don’t have a great deal of confidence in the enthusiasm of the ‘Legal Systems’ North or South when asked to find fault with prominent political figures, especially those in power ..!!
Do you know, Larry, I’d generally agree. But Mr Madden sounded quite serious to my ageing ears
What is it they say? ” hell has no fury like a woman’s corns” Never mind female feet, his editorial in the Irish Times today shows that Fiontan Ó Toole is not taking the questioning of Mairia Cahill’s account in good part. It is as vicious an example of unprincipled mud-slinging as I can remember.
The old saying about giving someone enough rope etc comes to mind in this case.
Clearly Ms Cahill is motivated by more than a sense of grievance or indeed injustice. she has surrounded herself with a cabal of SF haters who all have axes to grind or indeed to make political hay from her situation.
Sad thing is they will move on but Ms Cahill will be left with her trauma and I suspect anti-SF bitterness.
On a point of information ,who will be funding these various legal proceedings ?Will it be the individuals themselves,Sinn Fein or perhaps you and I the taxpayers via Legal Aid?
No idea, Argenta. But you would hope either way that justice would prevail. Right?
THIS IS NOT ME, IT’S SHERDY….
A lie will travel half way round the world before the truth gets it boots on.
The now known fact that Mairia was in correspondence with the IRA about her claim of rape certainly jars with her claim that she was ‘forced’ to meet them.
Her complaint with them seems to be the fact that they did not reach the ‘guilty’ conclusion she had wanted.
She claimed last week about being ‘dragged’ before the world’s media, yet at every photo opportunity there was no sign of anyone standing behind her twisting her arms up her back.
Also she has threatened legal action against any one ‘trolling’ her but she seems to think she can say anything she likes about anybody in the country, and no one should have the right of reply.
If the defendants’ solicitor does bring the BBC Spotlight programme to court, with the implied threat that, if successful, he may go after the politicians who have taken such obvious delight in believing Saint Mairia’s every word and reaching the conclusions they did, what will happen then?
I imagine the PSNI, including Special Branch, will be encouraged to go into overdrive to get information, genuine or otherwise, to blacken the names of those taking the legal action. And the Garda naturally will be willing little helpers.
So I would say, hold on to your hat, we’re going to see some lively timed, both in and out of court.
Sherdy
Jude
“…the Taoiseach, who allegedly stated in the Dail that his [Madden’s] clients were members of the IRA?”
Allegedly? Did he say it or didn’t he? Surely that is a matter of record?
As for Mairia Cahill’s letter I believe she referred to 2 of the women in the “army” as having honourable intentions but not others. You seem to have inadvertently left that bit out.
What else was in the letter? Some twaddle about Martin Morris having left N Ireland and being a risk to others. Hardly worth mentioning that.
And why would she refer to the army’s intentions at all if the individuals involved were not even members? There’s a headscratcher.
Gio – I always try to use ‘allegedly’ – I’m told it’s a magic word for keeping you out of prison. But as you say it’d be on the record so it’s not a matter of dispute. Besides, as I keep trying to point out, I’m simply reporting the lawyer’s interview – if I could find the bloody thing I’d put it up and you could judge for yourself. Or maybe write to Mr Madden and tell him he’s talking twaddle?
Jude
I was referring to Mairia Cahill’s letter,and my twaddle remark was meant to be ironic given that you failed to mention the rest of her letter apart from the bit that suits your argument.
Jude
From what I can make out Kenny did not name any names so I doubt if any court case would get very far.
I am sure SF would not relish the prospect of Mairia Cahill appearing as a witness as it would be a PR disaster for them.
The whole thing has backfired massively.Sindo poll out tonight puts SF top party on 26%
It is breathtaking to see how brazenly partial some of our “so called” journalists/ commentators are here!
See the blog below where Newton Emerson attacks the editor of BBC News online for actually even reporting the story of Mrs Cahill,s letter to the IRA army council. Mr Emerson claims that BBC ONLINE must have an “editorial issue”.
Your old pal Mick Fealty claims that the reporting has all the appearance of “captured media”.
Blog https://twitter.com/newtonemerson/status/528483663395450880
These are not just my perceptions. The guy, Adam Smyth who claims to be the editor of BBC Online News (NI) came on to defend his integrity claiming “I’m editor of News Online. I stand over all of our reporting of the story. Happy to respond 2 written complaints. Our reporting has been impartial throughout. You know where to reach me at Ormeau Avenue”.
Do you think that it could have been the “impartial reporting” which Mr Emerson found the most confusing? It certainly seems to be an alien concept for some of our leading commentators!
Original story
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-29850140
It’s seems to have gone unnoticed that the deep state are at their old tricks of prevaricating,stalling,and sabotaging demands for inquiries yet again, i.e the leon Brittain child abuse cover up allegations. Anyone would think they had something to hide?
You would think with all their experience over the years concerning how they handled scandals like Bloody Sunday, hillsborough etc they would know by now how to conduct an impartial investigation? After all these people are supposed to be the best educated people in the country so logic should come pretty easy to them.
Alas I am afraid those people demanding an inquiry into this possible cover up are in for more years of frustration judging by the conduct of the British establishments actions so far. They will need to take a leaf out of the irish people’s book if they are to succeed as we are well accustomed to this activity eg pat finucane,collusion,FRU,omagh etc.
Maybe william fay and Norma could do a bit of lobbying for them as they are obviously good honest people who are deeply concerned about injustices and abuse everywhere on these two islands?
When this woman has been used to the max by the anti Sinn Féin brigade, another poor stooge will be brought forward and then another and so on and so on. That`s just the way it is, we had better get used to it.
Does it not bother you how many poor stooges there seem to be?