Irish media have stopped kicking – they’re exhausted

It’s about time. Finally, finally the mainstream media have stopped (probably from exhaustion) kicking the crap out of Sinn Féin. At least judging from today’s headlines. Mind you, if you push on into the letters page pf The Irish Times, you’ll find a letter from Queen’s emeritus professor Liam Kennedy, claiming that…well, what does Kennedy ever claim? This time  his letter is headed ‘Paramilitaries and punishment beatings of children’. He uses an earlier article by Justine McCarthy, which pointed out that whatever about Sinn Féin, the Dublin government’s record on children was shameful. Liam sort of agrees, but quickly points the finger back at Sinn Féin, and laments the punishment beatings meted out by republicans.  Nice try, Liam, but most of us have moved on from events of thirty or forty years ago.

With apologies to Liam for focusing on current matters, I note with satisfaction that “Sinn Féin will promise to phase out charges for prescription medicines across the board in its general election manifesto, and legislate for the step within the first 100 days if elected to government.”

That’s a clear, bold move in an area which voters can and will respond to. None of us likes being sick, but equally none of us likes being penalised financially for being sick. In the north, there have been free prescriptions for some time, and although there are unionists who would like to bring back a charge, they daren’t.  David Cullinane has now levelled up the abolition of  prescription payments throughout all of Ireland. Maith thú, David. A vote winner as well as a decent move.

The other story in the news (in the place of Sinn Féin as the Halloween witch) is the announcement that from today,  there will be hourly train service between Belfast and Dublin, and vice versa. John O’Dowd is the minister for infrastructure at Stormont, and I have no doubt that his political drive has played a part in this improvement. So maith thú  fosta, John. Mind you, as one who periodically uses the Belfast-Dublin train, it’d be nice if the train took one and a half hours rather than nearer two and a half hours, but let’s hope speed catches up with frequency.

Those are two decisive steps which will benefit the great majority of people in Ireland. The Belfast-Dublin corridor will be an enhanced growth sector, due to more frequent trains; and free prescriptions mean that people will be freed from financial concerns when they go to get a medicine that should improve their health.

The more clear and commendable public steps Sinn Féin can put on their election platform, the better. Even Simon and Micheál will be embarrassed to keep pointing the public to events decades ago rather than events that should come out of the coming election.

Mind you, I don’t expect Liam Kennedy to stop pining for the past.