Category: Media coverage

Government threatens invasion over BBC insult?

I see the Government has made a formal complaint to the BBC over its use of Paul Gogarty’s Dail outburst on the popular comedy show ‘Have I got news for you’.

The reaction has echo’s of the Brian Cowen portrait incident which saw the full power of the state mobilized in an effort to exact revenge on behalf of the Great Leader.

I’ve requested a copy of the complaint from the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission. I’m curious to see if it includes a threat to invade Her Majesty’s realm if this slight on the dignity of the Dail is not immediately rectified.

In keeping with our banana republic status all Irish media outlets are banned from broadcasting such disrespectful material.

We can only thank the Great Zeus for the internet and Politics.ie

Brian Lenihan's illness

It’s not often I’m at one with off the wall columnist Kevin Myers but on this occasion I’m in full agreement with his analysis of the decision by TV3 to broadcast the news that Brian Lenihan was suffering from a serious illness.

I also agree with his description of Noel Whelan’s response as

A disgusting farrago of posturing humbug and tendentious prating.

Ivan Yates takes the peasants to task

The hypocritical preaching of many commentators never ceases to amaze me. Ivan Yates, in a review of the decade, takes the nation to task over our ‘robust materialism and consumerism‘. He goes on;

The quality of life has been defined by the number and nature of holidays, size and spec of car, interior decor of home and gaudy displays of unnecessary expenditure.

The happiness provided by these shallow desires has been short-lived. Now that we can no longer afford them, we find that they weren’t all that they were cracked up to be.

Judging from this sermon we could be forgiven for thinking that Mr. Yates is speaking from the high moral ground, that he’s lecturing the nation from a dark and damp cave out in the West of Ireland where he has donned a sackcloth and ashes lifestyle to redeem his excesses during the boom years.

Let’s take a quick look at Mr. Yates lifestyle. He’s chairman and managing director of Celtic Bookmakers which is jointly owned by himself and his wife. The business has 63 outlets in Ireland and Wales with an annual turnover of over €100 million.

Clearly, Mr. Yates is a multi millionaire and the ‘we’ he refers to in the above quote is obviously aimed at the great unwashed and not at the great and the good of Irish society such as himself.

Indeed, we can assume that Mr. Yates would be devastated if the great unwashed actually took his moralizing to heart and, en masse, decided to abandon their pathetic attempts to satisfy their ‘shallow desires’ for happiness when gambling their hard earned money in his betting shops.

And let’s have a closer look at the above quote.

Is Mr. Yates, the multi millionaire, telling us that neither he nor his family take holidays anymore? Are Mr. Yates and his wife sharing a second hand, banged out Toyota to collect takings from their 63 betting shops or, as I suspect, are they driving around in the latest luxury models?

I look forward to an article from Mr. Yates, complete with colour pictures, that will show the nation that he lives in a modest house without a hint of ‘gaudy display or unnecessary expenditure’.

In addition to his betting business Mr. Yates also presents a radio show on Newstalk, is prominent figure on the after dinner speech circuit and of course writes a column for the Irish Examiner all of which, presumably, he is well paid.

I don’t want to be misunderstood here; I have no problem with Mr. Yates’ business success. I’m a strong believer in (controlled) capitalism and have only admiration for those who go out there and make it in the business world.

I do, however, strongly object to such people telling the rest of us that we must now suffer for losing the run of ourselves during the boom.

The truth is, of course, that when Mr. Yates writes about shallow desires he is not talking about himself or any of the ruling elite of this blighted country.

He’s talking down to the peasantry, who, for a brief few years, gained a small benefit from the corrupt system created and operated by his fellow elites in the political and business world.

That peasantry is now being forced to pay the price for the greed and arrogance of the ruling elite; a ruling elite that Mr. Yates fully supports as we can see from his high opinion of the chancer Bertie Ahern.

The historical annals will declare Bertie Ahern and Tony Blair as the predominant victors and statesmen of this decade.

Only somebody who lives in the rarefied and secure world of the ruling elite could outline the realities of Ahern’s incompetent leadership:

negative equity, unemployment, house repossessions, business failures, emigration, a return to further education and poverty.

And in the same article tell us that this chancer is the statesman of the decade.

And let’s not forget that the peasantry Mr. Yates takes to task for taking more than one annual holiday or outfitting their homes with gaudy displays of unnecessary expenditure are the same peasants who pay both his TDs and minister’s pensions.

Copy to:
Ivan Yates

Elaine Byrne and the Bebo revolution

I really do despair when I read the complete and utter rubbish sometimes written by opinion makers like Irish Times columnist Elaine Byrne.

In last Tuesday’s edition Byrne tells us that the youth of Ireland are on the march to create a better Ireland; that they are:

challenging the traditional orthodoxies that left the State with such a dearth of values.

What? Where are these young people? Where is this revolution? What challenges have they faced up to and overcome? Where are the visible and definitive signs that the youth of Ireland have made any impact whatsoever?

Byrne gives some examples of this ‘revolution’. Her sister took a photograph of a rock band member draped in the Irish flag and proudly posted it on her Bebo page.

Another young person speaks of the recession bringing forward a national self-awareness – where is this self awareness, I certainly have seen no evidence of it.

A law student from Galway says:

We may be children of the 1980s but we are not prisoners of the 1980s. We have the ability to lead and change this country.

Lead and change the country? Are we to expect a massive countrywide student demonstration that will bring the old (1980s) system crashing down to be replaced by an enlightened, progressive, fair and accountable regime?

Self-serving protests against the reintroduction of college fees are the only activity I’ve witnessed from students in recent times.

If the youth of Ireland are planning such a revolutionary change they must be planning it in a bunker deep within the Irish Times with immediate execution for anyone who lets the secret out because, to date, there’s absolutely no sign of action, passion or revolution from the youth of Ireland.

The same corrupt political system is still in place, the same corrupt financial sector is still in place, the same corrupt regulatory system is still in place, the same corrupt civil service is still in place and as we know only too well the same corrupt and still powerful church system is still in place.

Byrne continues with her praise of this mythical Irish youth with:

It has always been, throughout our history, the positivity and passion of young Ireland that has challenged the traditional orthodoxies of older generations.

Significantly, to support this ridiculous claim, she can only provide examples of revolutionary passion from people who were dead before the creation of our failed modern state.

People like Wolfe Tone, Robert Emmet, Parnell, Arthur Griffith and Michael Collins. Sean Lemass gets a mention and he did indeed make a positive contribution to modern Ireland but all his good work was negated when the criminal Haughey took power and laid the foundations for the overtly corrupt banana republic the youth of today are, according to Byrne, on the brink of revolutionising.

Byrne sees another strand of change in the transformation of the age profile in political parties. The suggestion being that the youth are coming to the fore in politics; that this transformation will result in major change in how things are done in Ireland.

Again, there is no evidence to support this claim; no evidence of a political youth revolution; we don’t even hear raised voices from this sector.

When is the last time we witnessed protests or street marches from the youth wing of Fianna Fail or indeed Fine Gael or Labour? The youth of all the main political parties parrot their masters, they do what they’re told and that, invariably, is to follow the party line.

Have a look at the performance of Fianna Fail TD Dara Calleary on a recent Frontline programme. He looks and performs like a robotic clone just off the assembly line faithfully regurgitating dishonest Fianna Fail speak that has become the dominant symbol of that corrupt party.

If Elaine Byrne and her ‘revolutionary’ youth were in any way connected to the reality of what Ireland has become they would be organizing the wrecking balls to demolish Leinster House to serve as a symbol of our failed state.

They would be banning all sitting politicians from public office for at least ten years for their betrayal of the Irish people and they would be implementing a programme of education that would see the Irish people finally understand that political power belongs to them and not to the rabble of crooks and shysters who have created and ruled over our pathetic little banana republic for far too many years.

Copy to:
Elaine Byrne

The dreaded C word that must not be uttered

Matt Cooper, Pat Leahy, Michael Clifford and Kevin Rafter all featured on RTEs Saturday View (21 Nov) to discuss and analyse the content of their recently published books which all deal with recent events in the political and financial spheres.

Despite the fact that corruption, both political and financial, is the principal reason for the destruction of our country not one of these alleged current affairs experts managed to utter the dreaded C word.

They talked about the fall of the economy, the fall of the banks, the part played by the various political parties and politicians, they spoke at length about the chancer Bertie Ahern, they spoke of the tribunals and even mentioned the criminal Haughey but, incredibly, over nearly an hour of intense discussion on recent Irish history they managed to avoid discussing the very basis of all their respective publications – the endemic corruption that lies at the root of all our problems.

That surely is an achievement greater than actually writing a book.

Government, judiciary and corruption

Section four of the Transparency International Ireland debate entitled ‘Restoring trust in Ireland Inc’ focused on possible corrupt links between the judiciary and government.

Journalist Justine McCarthy didn’t mince her words.

I think corruption of the law in this country is at the root of most of our problems.

She went on to give just a few examples of how the law ‘operates’ in Ireland including how lawyers regularly lie in court, how legal firms like Arthur Cox become involved in conflicts of interest. For example, advising the Government on NAMA while at the same time advising the banks.

There was some discussion about RTEs habit of caving in to government (legal) pressure on a whole range of issues. Host, Karen Coleman, suggested there should be an investigation into this matter.

Ms. Coleman is right but who could be trusted to conduct such an investigation into the two most powerful information (propaganda) outlets in the country – the judiciary?

RTE is voting Yes

There was a heated debate on the Lisbon Treaty referendum on RTE radio (5th report) yesterday.

Representing the No side was Nigel Farage of the United Kingdom Independence Party.

Representing the Yes side was Blair Horan of the Civil and Public Services Union and RTE news presenter Sean O’Rourke.

Unfair yes but at least listeners now know that RTE has abandoned all pretence of balance.

RTE's broadcasting balance – Food for thought

Every Friday Pat Kenny discusses the week’s events with a panel of invited guests. Immediately after the discussion the panel is treated to food prepared by celebrity chef Rozanne Stevens.

Here’s how Pat introduced the item today:

Now, Rozanne Stevens, what political event without saying one way or the other what you support, are you marking with your food today?

Definitely the Lisbon Treaty and it was sparked by a poster I saw that said:

Say no to nuts, yes to Lisbon.

Pat responded with an approving guffaw.

I reckon it’s a pretty accurate reflection of RTEs broadcasting balance.

Still talking politely as the ship of state sinks

Transparency International Ireland held a public meeting last week under the headline ‘Restoring Trust in Ireland Inc.’

I’m going to analyse the contributions made in this debate in sections, highlighting what I perceive as the critical moments.

My comments are made from the Public Inquiry view that Ireland is an intrinsically corrupt state and that nothing will change until enough people come to accept this reality.

Discussions like this are useful, not because they are going to make a difference, they will not. The time for talk is long past, the corrupt body politic will not shift until they are faced with a radical or even a revolutionary reaction from the Irish people.

Such discussions do, however, help to highlight just how far away we are from even recognizing the seriousness of the situation never mind accepting that radical and immediate action is required.

After an introduction by John Devitt, Chief Executive of Transparency Ireland, Journalist Karen Coleman took over as moderator and introduced the panel.

Justine McCarthy (journalist)
Senator Dan Boyle (politician)
Susan O’Keeffe – (journalist and recent EU election candidate for the Labour Party)
Cobus de Swardt (Managing director of TI)

The first question to the panel was – Can politicians re-establish trust in politics.

Justine McCarthy, who spoke first, was clear and passionate in her view.

Politicians and in particular this government are incapable of re-establishing trust. They treat us with distain and contempt…as a people we are too soft…we let them away with too much…I just don’t believe them anymore.

At one point during her delivery McCarthy turned to Senator Boyle, who was sitting beside her and said; sorry Dan, and later added,

I have nothing bad to say about Dan, he’s a fellow Cork person.

This comment brought great laughter from everybody.

This was the critical moment. McCarthy simply couldn’t bring herself to criticise a politician who was sitting beside her, a politician she knew. Even if Brian Cowen was sitting beside her I believe she would still be reluctant to make strong criticism.

This is the critical difference between the Irish, a people who are politically ignorant, and a nation like France where citizens, as Ms. McCarthy pointed out, would be out on the streets by now.

Nothing will change until Irish citizens and in particular opinion makers like Ms. McCarthy begin to demonstrate real anger towards politicians.

I don’t believe that Senator Boyle is corrupt but he is a member of the corrupt Irish body politic and therefore should be treated with total contempt for bringing disaster on the nation.

Copy to:
Transparency International Ireland
Senator Boyle
Justine McCarthy