Sunday Independent journalist Declan Lynch is a dangerously stupid individual. I don’t make this serious charge from a personal point of view; I’ve never met the man. All I know about him is that he is a journalist and, I believe, a playwright.
I make the charge on the basis that he actually wrote and takes full responsibility for the article that appeared under his name in last Sunday’s newspaper.
In the article Lynch strongly defends the activities of Bertie Ahern and the corrupt Haughey. He believes it is ridiculous that Irish people should demand high standards from their politicians.
He describes those who do demand high standards from our politicians as;
Frothing-at-the-mouth pundits, pious people who blather platitudes about standards in public life, people who live in a very small world totally obsessed with the doings of the Fianna Fail family, self important people who appear on the panel and in the audience of Questions & Answers, people who have a warped sense of morality.
Lynch claims that although at some deep intuitive level Irish people know very well that politicians are dodgy they do not think that this is important.
He goes on to make the incredibly stupid claim that while there is always ‘something of the night’ about politics, we should tolerate that situation because it has no bearing on how our children are looked after or how serious illness is treated.
In case there is any doubt about my interpretation of what this man is saying let me quote his words verbatim.
“We understand quite well that in politics at any level, there is always “something of the night”. Which we would not tolerate for a moment if, say, these people were looking after our children, or treating us for some serious illness. But of course they are not looking after our children, or treating us for some serious illness. They are in politics.”
Lynch’s understanding of the relationship between political power and society is so infantile that it renders him incapable of seeing that the Health Service Executive is a monster created by political incompetence and corruption. He cannot see how that incompetence and corruption has a direct and devastating impact on countless thousands of Irish citizens.
Clearly, this ignorant man has never suffered the trauma of receiving a phone call telling him that his cancer tests were misdiagnosed and that his chances of survival were now very much reduced.
Clearly, this ignorant man has never had to arrange the funeral of a loved one who died because they couldn’t afford to buy into a two tier health system.
Clearly, this ignorant man has never buried a young son or daughter who died from Cystic Fibrosis ten years before their time because of a lack of the most basic isolation facilities.
Clearly, this ignorant man has never experienced the horror of seeing a loved one die on a hospital trolley while family members desperately pleaded for help.
Safe within his world of delusion Mr. Lynch probably believes that there is no connection between political power and white collar crime.
He probably believes that the massive damage done to people’s lives and the environment by widespread planning corruption has nothing to do with politicians or political decisions.
He probably believes that the theft of countless millions from customers by Irish financial institutions is normal and legitimate business activity. He probably believes this because, effectively, it’s the view held by most politicians.
He probably believes that it is normal for law enforcement authorities to do nothing when a prominent businessman is found guilty by the highest court in the land of insider trading involving sums of up to €50 million. He probably doesn’t think it the least bit odd that not a single Government minister has the courage to stand up and say that there’s something seriously wrong here.
Apparently he thinks that robbing millions through tax evasion, operating offshore accounts, robbing large amounts from State funds, accepting large wads of cash from ‘friends’ and businessmen while holding senior ministerial positions, appointing friends to State boards and not bothering too much about paying taxes are all activities that have no consequences for the greater good of society and should therefore be tolerated.
If this man held such views as an ordinary citizen he could be described as just a stupid individual. The fact that he holds such views but also has access to a major media outlet makes him a dangerously stupid individual.
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Declan Lynch