Friendly Advice

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Clockwise from top left: Conor Dempsey, Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly and Dr Anthony O’Connor

This morning.

Further to the departure yesterday from Twitter of covid response critic Dr Anthony O’Connor after he received a DM from someone ‘close to’ Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly …

…Via Independent.ie:

In a Twitter direct message, seen by Independent.ie, public relations consultant Conor Dempsey wrote:

“I hope it does not offend you, but do you ever wonder if some of the scrapes you get into online undermine your reputation? I mean that in the sense that people may see you as being so stressed, which you are very entitled to be, that they might be concerned if they are then referred to you for treatment?

“I think you are so brave in your advocacy and understandably fraught with all that is going on, but maybe being so active online works against optimizing your clinical role? We need advocates like you to speak, but you are almost too transparent and informative one would wonder if I was referred to a doctor who appeared so distressed.

“I am guessing also that you find your advocacy cathartic and I also believe in the need to agitate for change. But maybe less can be more?

Gulp.

Meanwhile…

Mr Donnelly has previously confirmed that Mr Dempsey, whose LinkedIn profile lists him as principal at Dempsey Corporate, worked for him in a voluntary capacity during his first general election campaign.

Doctor quits Twitter after PR consultant claiming to be ‘close confidante’ of Health Minister said he was undermining his clinical role (Independent.ie)

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8 thoughts on “Friendly Advice

        1. ivan

          Exactly. I’m not sure what Niall’s getting at. Dr O’Connor had tweeted he’d got a strange DM from somebody claiming to be a close confidante, though he didn’t name him.

          Presumably he went to the Indo with the story, hence they’ve seen the DM, and Conor Dempsey sent it, and he’s a sidekick – of a sort – of the Minister. Now it’s quite possible, certainly that Conor just went out on a limb and decided that he should engage with another twitter follower in the manner he did, or it’s possible he did it at the behest of somebody else.

          I’m all for Occam’s Razor and while i can’t claim to know what went through Conor Dempsey’s head, I don’t think I’d DM a fellow twitter user who i didn’t know particularly well, or at all, and offer this kind of advice from out of nowhere.

  1. Chevy Chase

    The passive aggressiveness of that note is something to behold. My Mother-in-law would be proud of it. All that was missing was signing off “I hope you enjoy the horses head in your bed.”

  2. Micko

    Looks like the good doc was thinking about leaving Twitter and decided that this lads DM was the perfect excuse to get off it.

    Otherwise, he could of just replied with “F off”. I mean yer man works in PR, he’s not exactly one of the Hutch / Kinehan gang.

    “Well Doctor, It would be a terrible shame, if someone was to realise a really nasty press release about you. Muhahahah” ;P

    Probably better for his head anyway – Twitter is an awful spitehole

    1. GiggidyGoo

      ‘I mean yer man works in PR, he’s not exactly one of the Hutch / Kinehan gang’
      I wonder which is worse?

  3. VAnon ™

    I’ve seen a reaction on the twitter that wasn’t unlike the one here yesterday
    basically – grow a thicker skin etc

    That might be valid, but only after and behind the worst of it

    and that is
    A citizen has been pressurised ‘in their workplace’ by a person exercising influence, real or not, the perception of influence was there

    For the nitcombers –
    firstly, the PR lad was specific about Dr Antos job/ profession, and his career, therefore the man’s workplace was the method used in the targeted approach. Straight into his DMs is pretty targeted.
    secondly, The Minister for Health, may be construed as not really being Dr Anto’s boss. And he isn’t. Hospital Management/ HSE Hospital btw, IMO/ his profession, and his patients are who he owes professional obligations to. However Dr Anto’s career and future prospects were exactly behind the so called advice less is more
    And being recognised publicly as a confidante of the Minister for Heath, someone who can influence Dr Anto’s career and prospects, denies all arguements that there was no influence from the Minister for Health present in the approach into Dr Anto’s DMs

    on a private note, just who do this crowd, this Government and their enablers and fanboys think they are
    you are almost too transparent and informative Should be congratulated, promoted, and replicated, everywhere in our public services and political apparatuses
    Not criticised, feared or blocked by PR

    Just shows that Government etc are actually intimidated by anyone who might be considered as a …..
    you are almost too transparent and informative

    Feck, I need to get me head down and act together to lay into it
    Probity 21, honestly any day now

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