You like your media balanced? You got it in today’s Irish Times. Justine McCarthy laments the shamrockery and Ireland-50-years-ago tone of Joe Biden’s visit here; Stephen Collins said it didn’t do him or us a bit of harm.
Collins defends the president for being a traditional Catholic – but thanks be to God, Collins suggests, he’s the right kind of traditional Catholic:
“Biden has actually earned the hostility of a significant swathe of Catholic opinion in the US, including many Irish Americans, because of his support for abortion rights and marriage equality. His tolerant faith has cost him the support of Catholics who seem to have no problem with the morally reprehensible Donald Trump.”
Stephen, like so many Dublin 4 denizens, likes to think in neat little boxes. How would it be if you were in favour of marriage equality (the right to misery for gay couple just as much as heterosexual couples, as someone noted) but was opposed to abortion? Or what if he were opposed to both but conceded the right of other people to think and act differently? Stephen likes ‘tolerant faith’ that plays by predictable liberal rules.
Justine McCarthy thinks the whole trip was a time-warp tour. She thinks Ireland (does that include the North, I wonder? Or would that be too liberal?) ‘wallowed in a love-in’ during Joe’s visit, and invoked an Ireland of fifty years ago. She also thinks the British press were right to lampoon him, dredging up that “The BBC? – I’m Irish!” and “I’m Irish but I’m not stupid!” as evidence, along with Joe’s Auntie Gertie telling him “Your father is not a bad man. He’s just English”.
The fact that most if not all of these remarks were made long before the trip to Ireland doesn’t seem to feature.
Neither journalist thought to comment on the president’s speeches in Ireland, which were tedious and often too long, as well as filled with noble phrases that meant nothing. But if you check the youtube video of JFK addressing the Oireachtas in 1963, exactly the same charges could be levelled.
I like leaders to be confident, sure-footed and articulate. Whatever about the first, I don’t think President Biden has either of the last two qualities. But if he does have your heart in your mouth for what might be said or happen next, he was clear on one thing: don’t mess with the GFA. G’wan, Justine and Stephen – kick him again. It won’t change that hugely positive Biden factor.
Very good Jude