Last night I watched RTÉ’s Prime Time and it was disturbing viewing. Not the setting – it was quite beautiful, a former chapel in Swords with exquisite mosaic floor. Not the tone of the debate or questions. What was disturbing was the candidates who’d been invited to be questioned by Miriam O’Callaghan.
There was Pascal from Fine Gael, Thomas from Fianna Fail, Joanne from Labour and Averil who used to be from Fianna Fail but who is now an independent. All candidates running in the election in 2016. But no left-wing candidate on view and specifically no Sinn Féin candidate, despite the fact that the Shinners’ Louise O’Reilly is believed to be a major contender for a seat.
Why was that? To be honest I don’t know. I’d always assumed that the people being quizzed on a panel like this would be the people most likely to gain a seat. Clearly that wasn’t the case last night. There was a huge amount of tweeting from Sinn Féin supporters during the programme, indignant that the party’s candidate had been squeezed out on some kind of technicality. It seems that attacks on the party which are aired are considered the equivalent of Sinn Féin airtime to argue their case; there’ve been a lot of those, so RTÉ is saying SF have used up their online allowance. I think that’s it. If it is, it’s odd to equate on-air attacks on a party with party representation by candidates like Louise O’Reilly.
And there’s more. I gather that Miriam O’Callaghan’s younger brother , Jim O’Callaghan, is a candidate for Fianna Fail this time out. Now none of us can be expected to be our brother’s keeper (thank God), but it would surely make sense for Miriam to put the family cards on the table before commencing quizzing different candidates? Assuming, of course, that they were given an invitation to be quizzed.
Ever wonder why, in the wake of a revolution, the winning side heads straight for the national TV station?
I thought the winning side seized the TV and Radio stations first.
I read somewhere that at Sandhurst aspiring officers learn how to stage a coup d’etat and I understand that in some countries alumni of that college have demonstrated how well they have been schooled.
I remember when Radio Eireann and RTE reflected the democracy they were established to
serve.
But as I grow older I fear younger citizens are not as well cared for.
Also Clare Daly who will top the poll was not there either .Establishment candidates only.
In steeple point of fact, Esteemed Blogmeister, it might be said there were two re-inventive Independent Fianna Failures crossing, erm, swords with the two Blue collar Blue Shirts on last night’s exclusive conversation in the former church in Fingal which re-invented itself as a RTE studio.
For Mimsy’s younger brother Jimsy is just another stocking puppet for his venerable ventriloquist of a leader, Micheal EMUartin. Who, in turn, is a shocking, viper-tongued puppet of his hyper-ventilating ventriloquist, the Out on his Eoghan, aka the Ron Hull of harassing hackitariat in Independent House (sic).
Speaking of Independent Housewives, there’s A. Power whose nick-name is ‘Struggle’. Which is not the same as her married name which is closely related to that of (gulp) Fionnan Sheehan, editor of the Daily Dependent. The reason why A. Power’s nickname is as it is, is because there is an ongoing internal struggle with both her political identity and an ongoing external struggle with the Queen’s English.
To the rainbow-coloured Queens in the LGBT, who awarded her in 2014, with their GALA award as their ‘Politician of the Year’ she is, has been and always will be ‘Mrs Sheen’.
Tiocfaidh ar GALA.
Averil (for it is she!) started off as a Fianna Failure hack but is now, if not exactly an Independent hack then, married to one. Mind you, as her rocket-launcher of a mezzo-soprano repeatedly reminds the fortunate listener, she is not the only one who has undergone a name-change.
Take (gulp) Cape Canaveral, for instance.
It is where rockets are launched into outer space and is located on the oriental coast of Florida in what is often referred to as the Space Coast. Much in the way, say, the Dublin Bay Constituency (North) is referred to as, erm, Fiscal Space Coast. Cape Canaveral was chosen for a number of reasons, including the necessity to take advantage of the Earth’s rotation and for the sparse population in the locality.
(In the case of Dublin Bay North , insert Political and brain p. respectively in the appropriate places).
In 1963 Cape Canaveral was namechanged to Cape Kennedy in tribute to the late, g. JFK. Ten years later, it reverted to Cape Canaveral under pressure from the local canaveraliens who objected to the cavalier way the cape had been changed without consultation.
More Power to her Malapropos
On the coast of Florida is found Cape Canaveral
Dublin Bay North boasts teabag and toast Averil
The count down starts now
To the Stars an’ the Plough
For the shrill, intercontinental ballistic Ms Missile..
Perkie – your limericks are not a long way (unlike Tipperary) from perfection. ‘two re-inventive Independent Fianna Failures crossing, erm, swords with the two Blue collar Blue Shirts’ – so much truth in so few words…
GRMMA, a Mhaistir Ionuin Blog.
Limerick being a Lady, in the words of the song, what would-be debonair lounge-lizard would not be into Limericks?
Alas,
Down here in the Free Southern Stateen, whether on Shannonside or Liffeyside itself, these are not exactly the best of times to flaunt one’s hetero etcetera.
Ni more duinn bheith curamach.
Dad’s the word.
I think if Louise O’Reilly is one of the main contenders for the seat, then Sinn Fein need to organise a protest rally outside the venue to raise general awareness of this obvious travesty of natural justice. They may not get on the show but they may be on the evening or regional tv news broadcast! They could probably get some people among the invited guests to the debate to raise the issue as a question to the candidates or the host!
Great story.jude
Scandalous.story.Jim.
I read a book called “Young Stalin”, by Simon Sebag Montefiore 3 years ago about the early life of Joseph Stalin, the Dictator of the Soviet Union. One of the lines I always remember reading in the book was on the eve of the Revolution Lenin commanded his followers that it was of the utmost importance, more important than anything else, to seize the communication centres (Radio, telegraph, newspapers, etc).
The media is a very powerful tool. Whoever possesses it doesn’t inform public opinion, they make public opinion, especially if its not countered strongly enough. If Sinn Fein didn’t have its well oiled political machine and the financial/political support from supporters in the USA /Australia/Britain/Canada, I doubt very much they could’ve been the great force they are in Irish politics because of the propaganda of the British/Irish media.
RTE and others are flexing their muscles. They have repeatedly tried to bash and demonize Sinn Fein, everything short of throwing the Kitchen sink and nothing seems to work. At best it simply delays Sinn Fein’s growth.
It was Gandhi that said: “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win”
Not in the order Gandhi said but they have tried the tactic of laughing at Sinn Fein, that failed. They have repeatedly tried to fight Sinn Fein, that failed too. Now the latest tactic it seems is simply trying to ignore Sinn Fein. Its comes across very desperate to me, its like RTE/Irish media is closing their eyes, putting their fingers in their ears and just hoping Sinn Fein will go away.
Sinn Fein are the elephant in the room, I think their absence will be more stark than their presence.
Don’t know if you were watching Spotlight with Noel Thompson last night,Jude but there were actually two Republican representatives on the panel(Declan Kearney and Patricia Mc Bride).Presumably you’d have no quibble with that!
Correct, A. And your point is??
My point is that you’re continually complaining about how badly Sinn Fein are treated by the media with all sorts of conspiracies being implied.Do you not think that the Ulster Unionists or the S D L P might feel that it’s a bit much to have two representatives from the one party on the panel while they’re excluded?
I think Argenta thinks last nights Spotlight NI was broadcast on mainstream TV in the 26 counties….
There were also three unionists on the show, I dont get the point your trying to make.
But not from the same party,Terry!
State censorship any one, don’t be silly It’s just a Broadcasting ban Sinn Fein should know how they work. A Republic for all the people what a joke.
Jude on the day of the hotel shooting, I happened to catch the end of the RTE package on the 1pm news. Apart from the origins of AK47s nonsense as espoused by Enda, and the totally bogus claim(from the BBC) that the shootings were carried out by Dissidents I was amazed at the end of the report to hear the reporter say something like “and now in the wake of these shootings GA and SF have more questions to answer with regards to the IRA”. Even I who by no stretch of the imagination could be considered a SF supporter shouted “Whaaat! this is nonsense” and frightened the poor wife into the bargain. Come the 6pm bulletin not a mention of dissidents or the IRA, but of course by then the damage was done.
“but of course by then the damage was done.”
Who do you think the damage was done to though?
The states are obviously corrupt and politicians are sinking to lower lows year on year, but Fine Gael have taken it to another level.
Fianna Fail were too busy benefitting from a property boom, they ignored the risk and blindly drove the country off a cliff but Fine Gael make me feel sick.
All of these independents are not going to filter back into either of those parties.
A new party will likely form and both of them will be taken down a peg or three by the people.
There is a good chance the changes we are witnessing will be permanent and I think it would be for the best not to go back to the same old two party rule with one party dominating for ridiculous lengths of time.