The final leaders’ debate on RTÈ on Wednesday night
The national broadcaster and the main papers kept the distorted coverage going.
Gene Kerrigan, in today’s Sunday Independent, writes:
Reporting on its exit poll [on Friday night], the Irish Times said, “An inconclusive outcome does not even begin to describe what we are left with.”
Ah, now, lads, come on.
You can come to that conclusion only if you’ve totally swallowed the propaganda that this election was about stability versus chaos…
…Fine Gael and Labour asset-stripped the people in order to implement policies which Michael Noonan, in opposition, said were not only unfair but obscenely so.
And then declared themselves the parties of stability.
And the media obliged by selling that message with ferocious zeal.
No one is more gullible than the media when convinced it’s doing a public service by sucking up to those in power.
…The most significant media intervention was RTÉ’s decision to frame the election as an exercise in which the four top parties were supposed to generate the makings of another of those Penny-farthing Coalitions..
…By cutting out everything but the four top parties, in the last debate before the vote, RTÉ obscured the reality of the election – and did so deliberately.
As I type this, I have one ear glued to RTÉ radio as the results come in. An expert has just explained that Enda and Joan made a mess of the TV debate because they failed to mount enough attacks on Gerry Adams.
…Enda and Joan and Micheal Martin could hardly have assaulted the poor bastard more grievously without tying him down with piano wire and pouring molten wax on his nipples.
Welcome to slowly evolving change (Gene Kerrigan, Sunday Independent)
Previously: Ireland’s Biggest problem Is RTÉ, Says Max Keiser
(RTÉ)
RTE are a disgrace
And at no time yesterday did Miriam let up. And yet the star of the count panels from Montrose to Ballymount was Matt Carty.
I warned ye about all this last Friday
How is it even acceptable for her to be part of the election team when her brother is running for one of the main parties? You would think that would void her neutrality.
Sur when was neutral free from bias coverage ever a recruiting condition for RTE?
Ha ha very true.
…isn’t Miriam the President in waiting…if Squee does the decent thing and follow his buddies into oblivion then there really would be coronation coverage on RTE.
Hang on, I thought the indo was all govt propaganda?
What Government…..
Previous ☺
Exactly
Wrong – they are still the government until Kenny goes to Aras and formally says he can’t form a government. Some “expert commentator” you are! Clown.
lol, didn’t get the ride this morning Same old same old?
…is that like a benefit or something, can i sign up for that
I don’t call myself an expert
Either here
Or Landside
You seem to have two personalities Same Old.
Don’t we all Fergus?
Harry was right though – I didn’t get the ride this morning :(
Like every other morning probably….
Actually Anne my partner had a miscarriage recently which is why we’re taking it easy currently. Damn you to hell you barely formed Neanderthal witch.
Ah now
How was Anne
Or anyone else
T’know that
( sorry to hear that BTW, but it’s none of my business anyway)
If that’s true Same Old, then it’s nobodies business on here, & nobody was to know, so leave it out, yeah?
Sorry to hear that Same Old..
Just kidding about getting the ride.
That’s nice Fergus. I can take a joke but not from a nasty vicious belligerent diva.
in fairness, Anne’s never shown herself to be that
Only virtually every night.
it is.
I still marvel at the fact that Gene Kerrigan can write this (brilliant) material week on week and not be sent away for re-education
bottomhole
Gene Kerrigan is the exception, & he’s usually right on the money. I’m surprised he’s still allowed a column in the Sindo.
The Sindo wouldn’t exist without him. He’s the reason most people shell out for the rag.
Gene Kerrigan is a windbag.
I’ve always thought he acted as a useful vent. He writes a frothy piece about vaguely left-ish topics (public services not being good enough, water tax being a con) with no thought-through policy prescriptions. The ‘rich’ or the ‘politicians’ or the ‘establishment’ will be blamed.
It might feel good to read ‘Kerrigan’ aim his ire on some such target but nothing will change & next week he’ll be back at it again.
He is the epitome of our (up-to-now) immature left.
You seem to be labouring under the delusion that it is Gene Kerrigan’s job to solve the country’s problems
“Enda and Joan and Micheal Martin could hardly have assaulted the poor bastard more grievously without tying him down with piano wire and pouring molten wax on his nipples.”
haha.
I even heard RTE blaming him for the creaking of their crappy stage. (the creaking we kept muting the telly over, wondering what the fupp it was)
Seriously, David Davin Power said it in one of his reports the next day that Gerry caused it.
Before we know it they’ll have Jean Byrne blaming Gerry for the weather.
All them storms, twas Gerry what caused um don’t ja know..
People see through all that muck
Most of them also see Gerry as a pseudo peace processor and actual paedo enabler though. They should get him off the stage.
“a pseudo peace processor”? jesus, that’s a good one.
presumably it was a totally different gerry adams who spent most of the 1990s in extremely delicate talks with john hume and the british government.
RTE will have to start behaving themselves now no matter what way the government pans out. SF may be the upstarts but they are very experienced in dealing with hostile media. At this stage they probably thrive on it.
SD’s have created shock waves in this election because their message resonated with a lot of people and even Joan Burton kept using words like social and society last night. Another in 18 months would suit them just fine. I pray that they, like SF, stay out of the new government.
We have had by far more street protests in the past couple of years than ever seen before. When Irish people take to the streets it is serious and RTE really are slow learners if they think they can continue to push the party line. It’s the end of the (political) world as we know it.
And it is long overdue.
‘RTE will have to start behaving themselves’ – scrape the topcoat off any progressive and witness the authoritarian within.
Flip between RTE 2FM and BBC Radio One and you will hear more Irish musicians on the latter than the former. Why is that?
Cultural cringe on our part, SOQ? And 2FM’s been pish since they fired Mark Cagney.
Spanner.
I was thinking a lot about why you said there was a shift going on soq. It’s more gradual than we all would like but I can’t deny you are/ were spot on in your analysis.
I don’t pay much attention to the lamestream media but in past few days enjoyed Dinnytalk’s freak circus. The main themes included a suggestion by several commentators that the manipulation of the public just wasn’t done right e.g. The slogan was wrong. The divorce from most people’s reality was in some way reassuring. It gives me great confidence for the future.
Some of those trips that the Workers Party took out to North Korea must have
rubbed off on the last remmants of whats left in RTE, indeed the group think
that has infected the “Establishment” with nearly 50 years has left them in the
state they are in, they have lost the respect of large section of the Irish People
They need restructuring and a massive clear out, they also have developded
a tendency to line up with what ever party is in power, so that they can be rewarded with a licence fee increase, this should be abolished…..some of them even have a clothes allowance, and what else.
I heartily endorse removing the clothing allowance from Carla O’Brien.
I do too, but for them all, one must adhere to the gender balance
and equality presciptions.
Fair point, Truth. I guess my skeeviness needed to be undercut by your sound reasoning.