RTE journalist Claire Byrne brings Fine Gael TD Alan Farrell to heel

 

By Anthony Sheridan

RTE journalist and Bertie Ahern admirer Claire Byrne found herself having to deal with a very nasty situation at the weekend. The incident was so serious, so obnoxious that she felt compelled to give it top priority on her weekly current affairs show, Saturday with Claire Byrne.

Never mind war, famine, political crisis or international terrorism, this was a matter so serious that the politicians on the panel were pressurised by Byrne into giving an immediate judgement on the matter despite the fact that they had no prior knowledge of what had occurred.

And what was the dreadful incident?

Fine Gael TD Alan Farrell posted a satirical critique of three Fianna Fail members of the Cowen family on his Facebook page.

Farrell posted a mock up poster from the movie Back to the Future, with a picture of Barry Cowen and Michael Martin (not a member of the Cowen family) accompanied by a legitimate critique of the political policies of Ber, Brian and Barry Cowen   over the past number of decades.

Probably because of her admiration for former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern Claire Byrne was outraged by this ‘attack’ on an ‘innocent’ Fianna Fail family.

She first addressed her outrage at Fine Gael TD Regina Doherty.

Byrne: And what he’s saying in each of those instances is that the Cowen family and Fianna Fail put the interests of Fianna Fail before the interests of the country. It is below the belt stuff, isn’t it Regina, it’s pretty nasty?

What!!! A Fine Gael politician makes the political point that three Fianna Fail politicians, who coincidently happen to be members of the same family, put the interests of their party before the interests of the country.

I challenge Claire Byrne to state exactly what is wrong with that opinion. What exactly is nasty, below the belt or indeed untrue about Farrell’s very funny, 100% legitimate piece of political satire?

It really is worth looking at this broadcast in detail because it’s a good example of how far the establishment media and in particular journalists in RTE have become politicised in favour of the ruling political elite.

Byrne begins by pressurising Fine Gael TD and Government Chief Whip Regina Doherty into expressing outrage over the incident despite the fact that Doherty had no knowledge whatsoever of what had occurred.

Byrne:   It is below the belt stuff Regina isn’t it, it’s pretty nasty?

Doherty: (Making an immediate, uninformed judgement).

I didn’t see it until you put it in front of me a second ago. I had to double look at it to see was it a joke or somebody else. It’s not something that I could ever subscribe to. When you actually have to revert to being personal between two politicians or two political parties, I think you’ve lost the argument, I think it’s a pity.

Clearly Doherty was afraid to challenge Byrne’s outrage so she submissively fell into line.

But Byrne was not happy with that, she wanted more.

Byrne: So will you be speaking to Alan Farrell in your role as Chief Whip about that?

Doherty, probably fearing she might be seen as disloyal to a fellow member of the political elite, reassured Byrne of her willingness to deal with Farrell’s ‘pretty nasty’ behaviour.

Doherty:  I’m not happy about it but I’ve just seen it now and I’ll talk to him later on maybe.

Byrne then turned to Fianna Fail TD Jim Callaghan who also had no knowledge whatsoever of the incident but was more than willing to fall in line with Byrne’s outrage.

Byrne: Jim have you seen this?

Callaghan: No, I haven’t.

Byrne: Here I’ll just give you a copy of it there.

Callaghan: (instantly and without reading the article) I don’t like the idea of politicians referring to the families of other politicians.

He (Farrell) shouldn’t be making personal attacks on people’s family and it’s something I’d never do and I don’t think he should do it.

Later on in the programme former Environment Minister and Labour Party TD Alan Kelly also criticised Farrell’s post, saying it was “downright stupid”.

So let’s clarify where these politicians and this RTE/Fianna Fail supporting journalist stand on the issue of political critique/satire.

They believe that it is unacceptable for any politician (in this case, Alan Farrell FG) to criticise another politician (Barry Cowen FF) by referring to other members of that politician’s family who are or were politicians (Ber and Brian Cowen FF).

So, for example, the actions and policies of Brian Cowen, without doubt the most incompetent Taoiseach in Irish history, cannot be referred to in a critque of his politician brother Barry because they’re family.

Similarily, the actions and policies of the criminal Fianna Fail politician Charles Haughey can never be used in a critique of his son Sean Haughey, because they’re family.

And so on across the many, many Irish political dynasties that have done so much damage to Ireland and its people over the decades.

This, of course, is an idiotically bizarre idea because such references, such critiques are routine and totally legitimate.

So here’s the nasty truth…

Alan Farrel committed, or was perceived to have committed, the most heinious crime any Irish establishment politican can commit – he publicily mocked a fellow member of the ruling political elite.

The exchange of jibes and insults within the confines of Leinster house is fine, all politicians know it’s just a cynical game. But to publicly lampoon a fellow member of the ruling elite, particularly on a hated social media platform like Facebook, is unforgivable.

That’s probably why RTE journalist Claire Byrne was so angry, that’s probably why she used her immensely powerful media platform to bring Farrell to heel.

And it worked.

Within minutes of Byrne’s strong disapporval at this insult to her beloved Fianna Fail, the cowardly Alan Farrell removed the offending article from his Facebook page.

A disturbing example of the power of the establishment media.

 

Copy to:

Claire Byrne

Alan Farrell

Regina Doherty

Jim Callaghan

Alan Kelly

RTE complaints

RTE News and Current Affairs

Fianna Fail

Fine Gael

Is the establishment media finally waking up to political corruption?

 

By Anthony Sheridan

Well Halle…fucking…lujah (excuse my French) somebody in the establishment media woke up, shook the sleep from their eyes and, catching a glimpse of reality, exclaimed – what the fuck is going on around here?

I strongly recommend the countless victims of Irish political corruption to read today’s editorial in the Irish Examiner. The actual word ‘corruption’ is used in reference to how the country is run. The word ‘cancer’ is used to describe the (corrupt elite) social order of the country. The mafia word ‘omerta’ is used in relation to how public institutions operate in what the writer coyly describes as our ‘dishonest republic’.

But the most amazing aspect of this never heard of before honesty from an establishment newspaper is the absence of any blame on the ‘sinister fringe’ of the water protest movement and not even a mention of ‘evil’ Sinn Fein.

What’s going on, could it be that at long, long last the establishment media is finally beginning to realise the truth, finally beginning to see that the rot and corruption that has destroyed our country has its source in the political establishment that is almost universally supported by that very media?

But there’s still some puzzlement, still some uncertainty surrounding the brutal reality that our political system is irredeemably corrupt.

It is difficult to understand why we have allowed this nasty, destructive culture prevail, why we tolerate a kind of passive-aggressive corruption wilfully deployed to conceal (the truth).

It is not ‘we’ who do not understand. The majority of Irish citizens are only too well aware of who is responsible for the crimes inflicted upon them over the decades – the corrupt political system.

The ‘we’ the writer should be addressing is the establishment media who have shown total loyalty and support for the criminal politicians who have plundered the wealth of the nation and dragged its good name through the mud.

Copy to:

Irish Examiner

Bus strikers beat themselves up

 

By Anthony Sheridan

So the bus striker’s strategy was moving along nicely, the Government and management were under increasing pressure to act and there was plenty of public sympathy and support for the strikers.

Then, without warning, the strikers decided to do the Government and management a big favour by banging themselves over the head with a big stick called, wildcat strike.

Public anger is now directed against the strikers, sympathy has fallen away and Government and management are off the hook.

Is this just plain old-fashioned stupidity or insanity?

An Garda Siochana is a corrupt police force

 

By Anthony Sheridan

I’m in the process of writing an article in response to the latest incidence of Garda corruption.  In the meantime, here’s an article I wrote three years ago in response to Garda corruption.

 

Garda/political corruption – Nothing will change

The Irish Examiner editorial describes the latest revelations in the Ian Bailey case as mind boggling.

That Gardai may have considered paying someone in order to frame a man for murder is described as not only corrupt but almost unbelievable.

The Irish Times speaks of an appalling vista and grave national concern that Gardai may have acted illegally in securing convictions in the courts.

And yet this stuff is old hat, it’s all happened before. Garda corruption in Donegal involved a whole range of crimes including framing a man for murder.

Nobody was charged, some were allowed to retire on full pension and, to my knowledge, just three gardai were fired.

In other words, major criminal acts carried out by police officers and confirmed by an Oireachtas inquiry were effectively ignored.

The political response was exactly the same as the response we are now witnessing in respect of the latest scandals.

Denial, useless internal reports, full support for the Gardai and minister, promises to legislate to prevent it happening again blah, blah, blah….

The then Justice Minister McDowell and his civil servants who drafted and introduced the ‘this must never be allowed to happen again’ legislation must have been complete morons or they deliberately drafted the law to ensure the minister and Gardai remained unaccountable.

I suspect most intelligent citizens would opt for the latter explanation.

So what’s happening now?

Well, editorials are expressing shock and outrage, politicians are expressing their unqualified confidence in the minister and the Garda and everybody is supremely confident that the interim Garda Commissioner, Noirin O’Sullivan, will act decisively to reform the force.

So let’s have a look at what she has done to restored confidence and clean out the corruption that’s obviously rampant within the force.

She has decided to leave in place the punishment meted out to completely vindicated Garda Maurice McCabe by her predecessor.

And she’s conducting a survey to ask rank and file members how the organisation can be improved.

Pathetic and all a bit sad so to finish I’ll express the brutal truth.

Corruption is rampant within the Gardai because our corrupt political/administrative system, by doing nothing, allowed that corruption to flourish.

That rotten system will do nothing in this instance. Things will remain exactly as they are, exactly as they were allowed to remain following the Morris Tribunal.

 

 

Catholic Church: The brutal truth

By Anthony Sheridan

Truth poses the single greatest threat to those who wield power within a corrupt political/administrative system such as the one that currently operates in Ireland.

The corrupt and those who support the corrupt must ensure that the truth is denied, warped or simply ignored.

We witness this culture of truth denying in abundance in response to the latest atrocities committed by the Catholic Church.

So here’s the truth in all its brutality:

The crimes committed by the Catholic Church in Tuam and countless other locations around the country since the foundation of the State are nothing less than crimes against humanity.

Crimes against humanity: Certain acts that are deliberately committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against any civilian population or an identifiable part of a population.

Cimes against humanity are not isolated or sporadic events but are part either of a government policy or of a wide practice of atrocities tolerated or condoned by a government or a de facto authority.

 

The following are just some of the crimes against humanity committed by the Catholic Church in Ireland.

Dehumanisation

Human experimentation

Extrajudicail punishments

Forced disappearances

Kidnapping

Unjust imprisonment

Slavery

Torture

Rape

Child trafficking

Operation of forced labour camps

Brain washing

Sale of corpes to medical establishments

Illegal disposal of victim’s bodies

 

The following people, organisations and institutions are directly responsible for these crimes against humanity.

The Catholic Church from the Pope down to the individual nuns and priests who committed the crimes.

The politicans who handed over absolute power to the Catholic Church.

State institutions such as the Gardai, Dept. of Justice, Dept. of Education, those responsible for child welfare to name just a few.

The following mealy-mouthed excuses do not in any way exonerate those guilty of crimes against humanity.

They Catholic Church did more good than bad.

It was in the context of the time.

We’re all to blame.

We were just obeying orders.

The whole thing is exaggerated.

The fathers are to blame.

The families of the victims are to blame.

The British are to blame.

We must learn lessons and move on (without looking back).

If these excuses are acceptable, and many defenders of the Catholic Church do accept them, then the great bulk of Nazi concentration camp commandants/guards are also innocent.

When the people of Ireland remove the corrupt political system that played a major role in these crimes against humanity and replace it with a properly functioning democratic republic the following actions should be taken.

A formal complaint of crimes against humanity against the Catholic Church and other religions submitted to the International Court of Justice in the Hague.

An immediate and wide-ranging criminal investigation by the Gardai.

The immediate seizure of church property to be liquified and used to compensate the survivers.

The immediate freezing of all church financial assets as a stick to ensure compliance with state authorities.

A complete separation of Church and State.

A complete secularisation of all state funded schools and hospitals.

Anything less than the above measures will constitute a further crime against the countless thousands of victims of the Catholic Church.

Fergus Finlay: Damaged by vile corruption?

 

By Anthony Sheridan

Once again Fergus Finlay is anguishing over the horrors inflicted on Grace by the State. Here are some of his anguished comments taken from Today with Sean O’Rourke:

It’s one of the most shaming things that I’ve come across for a long, long time.

It’s impossible to believe that in the 1990s and 2000s our systems are allowed to run like that.

This is something that has happened again and again and again. It’s not enough to know what happened, we have to know why it happened.

Here’s why it happened and why it will continue to happen.

Ireland is an intrinsically corrupt state where, over several decades, a cabal of political parties principally made up of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Labour morphed into a corrupt ruling class.

In effect, Ireland is a one party state where these three entities pretend to be separate parties while plundering the State’s resources and abusing its citizens.

The system became irretrievably infected with the disease of corruption in 1979 when the criminal politician Haughey came to power and reached its catastrophic end in 2008 when the rotten system careered over the cliff of economic disaster taking with it the wealth, dreams, ambitions and, most of all, the trust of the Irish people.

Since that year of national betrayal a significant and growing number of citizens have been actively working to bring down the entire rotten edifice and replace it, for the first time in history, with a truly democratic republic.

This corrupt system, which Finlay so admires, is directly responsible for the creation of a culture where vulnerable citizens like Grace are left unprotected and vulnerable to the devices of extremely evil and brutal people.

Lest anyone think I’m being too harsh on Finlay, consider this:

On the very day he was shedding crocodile tears over the horrors inflicted on Grace an article, written by him, was published in the Irish Examiner praising Enda Kenny, one of the principal architects of the corrupt political culture responsible for her suffering.

Finlay’s article is a grave insult to the countless thousands of Irish citizens, including Grace, who have suffered and even died as a direct result of political corruption.

The article is sickening in its pathetic attempt at lightheartedness when writing about a man who is responsible for so much damage and suffering.

Here’s a sample of quotes:

There may be a few moves in Enda yet – a tango with Angela, a cha-cha-cha with the entire European Council.

When all is said and done, Enda Kenny will be remembered, I think, as being bigger than the sum of his parts.

Maintaining the dignity of a small country that believes in human rights, while also protecting the special relationship we have with a country that is vital to our interests, is no small task. (On Kenny’s St. Patrick’s Day visit to the White House)

Here’s a fact: Grace will never dance a tango or a cha-cha-cha. The corrupt political system, as represented by Enda Kenny, has seen to that.

Here’s another fact: Grace will never be remembered for the sum of her parts because the corrupt political system responsible for her nightmare destroyed any potential she may have had for happiness.

And a final fact:

To even think, never mind actually print, that a compulsive liar like Kenny represents an administration that believes in human rights, given all the vile revelations of recent decades, is nothing less than vomit inducing.

The most charitable interpretation of Finlay’s blind loyalty to the corrupt political system that has wreaked such devastating damage and suffering on Ireland and its people is that he too has been somehow damaged by its vile influence.

Copy to:

Fergus Finlay

 

Coveney and Varadkar: The battle of the balls

 

By Anthony Sheridan

There are two reasons the water charges issue has blown up again.

First, Coveney is very worried that Varadkar’s balls are growing bigger than his so it’s time to throw himself about a bit to show potential leadership supporters that his balls are actually way bigger than Leo’s.

Ok, it’s demeaning for the refined Simon but power is power and sometimes one has to lower one’s standards to reach the dizzy heights.

Second, those of us who successfully defeated, not just the government but also the State itself and all its powerful agencies, have rightly begun to celebrate victory.

Fianna Fail, being a party without a trace of integrity or scruple, is always open to twisting itself inside out if it means gaining an advantage. So no problem there with abandoning previously held principles.

Poor old Fine Gael though, a party used to talking down to and issuing diktats to the great unwashed is finding it very difficult to accept that they have been defeated by such lowly peasantry.

The overall picture is that we are witnessing the continuing and very welcome disintegration of the ruling political elite who have done so much damage to Ireland and its people over the decades.

History is finally catching up the gangsters.

 

Disclosures Tribunal: Truth and lies

 

Crossing out Lies and writing Truth on a blackboard.

By Anthony Sheridan

Judge Charleton has made an impressive start to the Disclosures Tribunal. It’s a pity his fine words are meaningless in the context of the sewer of corruption within which it will be carried out.

Here’s the reality behind his fine words:

He wants to find out if the media was used as an instrument for the dissemination of lies. Far from being used, the media were willing conspirators in the lies spread about Maurice McCabe.

The dogs in the street or at least the media dogs that live close to and sometimes off politicians and government officials were more than willing to spread the muck on McCabe.

Judge Charleton warned that there could be consequences for those who lie at the tribunal.

I have no doubt that the judge is genuine in his warning but, again, his words are meaningless. Lying under oath is a long established tradition among the ruling elite in this country. Bertie Ahern lied under oath at the Mahon tribunal with not the slightest fear that he would be investigated never mind actually charged with a crime. The culture of lying created by our corrupt politicians still holds power.

Just last week we witnessed the current Taoiseach lying through his teeth but instead of being thrown out of office in disgrace his mealy-mouthed supporters demanded that he be treated with sympathy and respect.

I’m not quite sure what the Judge meant when he said:

The truth is bitter though it is not shameful.

I believe truth is sometimes bitter but always enlightening, always cleansing. Truth is a vital element in a functional democracy, that’s why it’s such a rarity in Irish politics.

Truth poses the greatest threat to the power of our corrupt political/administrative system. That’s why the State goes to such lengths to suppress the truth, that’s why citizens like Maurice McCabe are attacked by the State when they try to expose the truth.

I wish judge Charleton the best in his attempts to expose the truth but in the end it will be a wasted exercise because the tribunal system was designed by our corrupt politicians with the specific aim of suppressing truth.