Category: Government

Reaction to (fake) media legislation

Here’s the reaction of Irish Examiner columnist Alison O’Connor to Communications Minister Alex White’s interview on Drivetime.

It seems absolutely daft that he could keep a straight face during that interview. You know, here’s what we’ll do, here’s how it will be and yet the elephant in the room is the fact that we already have the incredibly dominant force in Irish media in the figure of Denis O’Brien.

O’Connor goes on to make a very relevant point which further confirms the fakery of this legislation.

What’s going to happen when somebody is refused a merger? Surely they’re going to point to the overwhelming percentage of media already held by O’Brien and claim – what about him, look at all the media he’s been allowed to buy up.

Government introduces fake legislation on media mergers

I wrote recently about how our state is populated by fake regulatory authorities created to give the impression that Ireland is a functional democracy while at the same time allowing white-collar criminals free rein to plunder and rob at will.

Another device employed by our corrupt political/administrative system is the creation of fake legislation to give the impression that fake regulators have the power to bring white-collar criminals to account.

The latest, and most blatant example of this legislative fakery; is the recent announcement of plans to regulate the area of media ownership.

A report in the Irish Times tells us all we need to know about the fakery of this legislation.

The report reveals:

One: The legislation is based on guidelines. In other words, powerful media moguls will be presented with the guidelines and politely asked to abide by the non-enforceable principles contained in them.

Two: The guidelines will not be retrospective. This means that the enormously powerful and dangerous media mogul Denis O’Brien can retain the massive power and influence he already wields in the media sector.

Three: The 20% limit on ownership of media outlets is a joke. The Minister tells us that the like of O’Brien would find it more difficult to carry out mergers. ‘More difficult’ is a meaningless measure that will be laughed at by the likes of O’Brien.

Four: The guidelines are expected to say it is ‘undesirable’ for one person to hold excessive influence. Again, this is an utterly meaningless measure. Again, it will be laughed at by the likes of O’Brien.

Five: In an RTE interview (Drivetime, 49′) the Minister, Alex White, peddled the lie that it was not possible to make legislation retrospective, that to do so would raise very, very significant constitutional obstacles.

Six: In the same interview, as the Minister insulted and patronized the intelligence of listeners, he announced that it will be the minister who will make the final decision on whether a merger may go ahead or not.

It is this last aspect of the legislation that really makes it fake. Alex White operates within a corrupt political system that places the interests of powerful people far above the interests of the country or its citizens.

Copy to:
Minister White

Ireland is an intrinsically corrupt state

What we are witnessing as a result of the current constitutional crisis and the reactions/responses of those involved is nothing less than the final unmasking of a fact long asserted on this website – Ireland is an intrinsically corrupt state.

I believe we are now entering end game in this process. There can only be one of two outcomes.

One: The corrupt political/business powers will win out and defeat the people and democracy. If that happens Ireland will become a visible banana republic, there will be the rulers and the ruled.

The institutions of the state, which have been covertly supporting the corrupt for decades, will be openly employed to protect and promote the interests of the corrupt. The people will only be required to do what they have abeen effectively doing for decades – vote in sham elections, pay taxes and keep their mouths shut.

Or:

Two: The people will rebel against the corrupt system and take back their democracy. This has already begun with the radicalisation of a significant percentage of the people over the water tax. It is vital that this rebellion continues to grow so that it attains a degree of power sufficient to dispose of the current corrupt political sysem in its entirity.

Independent Newspapers: Not so independent anymore

Last Saturday, almost every newspaper in the land covered the constitutional crisis triggered by Denis O’Brien’s ruthless arrogance. The story was so big, so important that global media outlets such as the New York Times and the Guardian gave it top billing.

The only media outlet that practically ignored the issue was the Denis O’Brien controlled Irish Independent.

Buried deep in the issue on page 22 ‘Journallist’ John Downing outlined in an article of only 402 words a series of sentences and quotes surrounding what is one of the most imortant political stories of recent decades. There was no analysis whatsoever.

When asked about this on RTEs Saturday View Downing, with great indignance, repsonded:

There is coverage and there is a photograph of Catherine Murphy and I personally wrote this and was very careful to give fair ball to everybody.

He then adopted the same strategy as Denis O’Brien’s lacky James Morrissey of throwing a bucket of red herrings to avoid criticising his master.

Libel laws, legal compensation industry, conflict between judges and polilticians and ended his rant with this bizarre question:

Which brings us back to the question, why is there only one Monopolies Commission?

The increasingly desperate struggle by ‘journalists’ in Independent Newspapers to portray themselves as objective and professional is really becoming a bit sad.

Labour TD Joe Costello: “It is up to the media to stand by the Constitution in the first instance”

The political cowardice of Labour TD Joe Costello represents the effective abandonment by the political system of our democracy to the mercy of people like Denin O’Brien.

Here’s what the coward Costello had to say on RTE regarding the current constitutional crisis.

The constitution is absolutely clear on the rights of the members of both Houses in terms of privilege. And it states that ‘utterances made in either house wherever published shall be privileged’. I have thought that the media for too long have been subservient to big business with deep pocktes in this respect. I think in this particulaer case the media has to stand up, have to ensure that, and that includes RTE indeed, that the case that is put now in the courts is dealt with in a very comprehensive fashion.

In the first instance it is up to the media to stand by the Constitution.

Let the Irish people savour the bitter taste of the ultimate betrayal by our corrupt political system, as represented by this coward, to the interests of powerful oligarchs like O’Brien.

Copy to:
The coward Costello

Gardai and ‘threatening’ water protesters

A standard strategy of blackening the name of an individual or group is to make connections between that individual or group with the illegal or threatening behaviour of others.

Here’s the vice president of the Garda Representative Association Ciaran O’Neill speaking on RTE (5th report) about the relationship between Gardai and water protesters.

People want to see Guards working in their community but when you have a number who are brought off to monitor a protest to ensure that it’s peaceful it does drain other resources and communities are being deprived of policing because of it.

The message here is clear: Those who engage in peaceful, democratic protests are depriving communities of police protection. The clear suggestion is that such protests should stop.

There seems to be a sinister element that are trying to get themselves involved with the protests. It would appear that there is an element that have very nefarious reasons for being there that are anti-establishment, that are trying to cause trouble and are bringing good people whose intentions are just to protest peacefully and are creating violent situations.

Police officers have an obligation to inform citizens, and particularly those involved in the water protests, of who exactly these sinister elements are. What are their motives, their strategies, how exactly are they manipulating peaceful protesters. Throwing out vague references about ‘sinister elements’ without evidence mirrors the political strategy of mainstream political parties.

We have a job to do…but we have people, particularly in respect to the water protests, who are trying to identify members of An Garda Siochana. We’ve had rewards offered to identify where they live and to identify their families and that shouldn’t be happening, that’s not peaceful, that’s not protesting in a proper way, that’s threatening, intimidating.

Threatening a police officer is, to my knowledge, a crime. The Gardai should investigate and bring charges if sufficient evidence is found but it is disturbing to witness a police officer lump in peaceful protesters with a tiny minority who may be breaking the law.

It is reasonable to claim, I believe, that the water protests in Ireland involving hundreds of thousands of citizens are probably the most peaceful, most law abiding protests in recent world history.

Which raises the question – Why is the establishment so determined to blacken the reputation of those involved in such democratic protests?

Lucinda Creighton needs to leave the land of small minds

Lucinda Creighton formed her new party Renua, at least partly, because she realised, rightly, that there was something seriously wrong with the mainstream political system.

Forming a new party to challenge the (corrupt) political status quo takes courage but above all it requires a deep and accurate understanding of what the problem actually is and a very focused strategy to bring radical change.

Creighton cannot bring radical change becasue she has only the vaguest idea of what the actual problem is and therefore is not in a postion to make the necessary reforms.

A quick analysis of her article in last Saturday’s Irish Daily Mail in which she reponds to the Siteserv scandal proves the point.

She says:

What has emerged this week carries echoes of the insider culture that prevailed during the Brian Cowen/Bertie Ahern era.

Note her use of the past tense. The insider culture she speaks of has been abusing Ireland and its people since 1922. In 1979, when the criminal politician Haughey came to power, the culture went toxic eventually resulting in the financial catastrophe of 2008.

That culture is still there, it’s still toxic, it’s still destroying the lives, ambitions and dreams of countless citizens while clueless politicians like Creighton continue to make idiotic and completely meaningless statements like.

We need a thorough and truly independent investigation that leaves no stone unturned.

But her next idea proves beyond a shadow of doubt that this politician floats around in the same fantasy world occupied by most of her gombeen colleagues.

I suggest that perhaps this could be a matter left to the Banking Inquiry.

Policitians like Creighton need to leave the land of small minds if they want to make a real difference.

They need to listen (22nd min) to and act on the advice of commentators like Phillip Blond.

You have an enormous gap between an electorate that is desperate for something new and a political system that is just offering again and again versions of the same thing…The tragedy of Ireland is… this is a population that’s on the edge of insurgency but there are no insurgents…so the Oppositioin has be become insurgents but their too frightened to move..they’re too conventional.

Siteserv and supporting journalists

It’s always interesting to note the language used by establishment journalists when reporting on the questionable activities of those they tend to support.

Here’s some quotes from an article on the Siteserv controversy by John Downing in this morning’s Irish Independent (my emphasis).

Both Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin believe that Messrs Kenny and Noonan can be made to look bad as they pick over the details of a reported loss to the taxpayer of €105m.

Opposition party leaders Micheál Martin and Gerry Adams moved with alacrity on Tuesday to capitalise on work done by Kildare North Independent TD Catherine Murphy.

Yesterday was day two of their onslaught. And Martin and Adams pushed for an independent inquiry into the sale by IBRC of the Siteserv company to businessman Denis O’Brien’s Millington for €45m.

Political interference with Gardai must end

The Garda Representative Association (GRA) has called for an end to political interference with the force (Irish Examiner).

The organisation cannot look for permission to speak from a political master. As it stands, too many careers are dependent upon political interference.

There will be no real reform of our dysfunctional police force until this rotten nexus between politicians and senior police officers is permanently removed.

Brian Hayes and the big gombeen lie

In 2006 the then Justice Minister Michael McDowell branded Fine Gael TD Richard Bruton the Dr. Goebbels of propaganda.

Shortly afterwards he unreservedly apologised and shook the hand of Bruton on the floor of the Dail. McDowell said his remarks were over-the-top, unacceptable and intemperate.

It’s unlilkely we’ll witness a similar response from Fine Gael MEP Brian Hayes to his latest anti Sinn Fein rant in the Irish Independent.

Hitler, Goebbels, cult, murder machine, big lie are words and names littered all over Mr. Hayes’ article.

It’s grotesquely hilarious to witness the likes of Hayes accuse Sinn Fein of Nazi like propaganda strategies while employing those very same strategies himself.

There are two reasons why we won’t be seeing an apology from Mr. Hayes for his intemperate and unacceptable language.

Firstly, Michael McDowell and Richard Bruton are members of the ruling elite of this country, they’re insiders. Members of this elite do not refer to each other as Nazi’s. It’s unacceptable and intemperate behaviour. McDowell realised this and apologised.

Secondly, Sinn Fein are not only outsiders but are rapidly building a power base that threatens to bring down the exclusive insider’s club that’s directly responsible for leading the country over the cliff of misery and poverty.

Operating within his comfortable bubble of delusion Mr. Hayes seems to be completely unaware that ordinary citizens have woken up to the big gombeen lie that he and his fellow politicians have been peddling for decades.

Irish citizens are no longer prepared to put up with the corrupt political regime that has betrayed their interests for so long.

Copy to:
Brian Hayes