From top: Alison O’Connor (second left) on Claire Byrne Live on RTÉ One on February 14; Anthony Sheridan
Irish Examiner columnist Alison O’Connor found herself all alone on Valentine’s night last. Claire Byrne/RTÉ had invited her to participate in a discussion on the dramatic rise in Sinn Féin’s popularity.
As a favourite of the establishment media and strident anti-Sinn Féin commentator Ms. O’Connor probably expected that she would be joining the usual RTE anti-Sinn Fein panel.
But, amazingly, that didn’t happen, the panel was balanced and fair. O’Connor seemed to be genuinely confused with the situation. She began by telling the nation that, given how bad things are, even an opposition of chimpanzees would find it easy to pick it [the Government] off.
This crude and insulting political analysis was followed up with the usual tired guff about Sinn Fein being a ‘strange, cultish party’ that could cause a lot of offence if it got into power.
But then, O’Connor ran out of words. It was as if she suddenly realised that nobody was really listening to her, that they had heard it all before, and, of course they had, ad infinitum
So, in desperation, she did something that no establishment journalist has ever done before – she criticised RTE for imbalanced broadcasting, complaining:
“I would say about some of the debate I heard tonight…that there was some imbalance there. Listening to some of it you’d think we live in a banana republic and that’s not true… I think balance is important.”
O’Connor was confused because by the time she joined the panel, the anti-Sinn Féin side had been routed.
Passionate, articulate Sinn Féin members backed up by others such as Martin Ward and Tony Groves dismantled every argument put by supporters of the political establishment.
Property developer Michael Flynn’s condescending claim that people were being ‘over simplistic’ on the housing crisis, and Fine Gael TD Jennifer Carroll MacNeil’s defence of the private sector’s role in solving the crisis was torn to shreds by a well-informed opposition.
The opinions expressed by the eccentric financial advisor and failed politician Eddie Hobbs provided some light relief. Anybody tempted to take Hobbs seriously has only to recall that after co-founding the far-right party Renua Ireland, he refused to stand for election because he was too busy with other stuff.
And then there was the Fianna Fáil politician, Cllr. Briege Mac Oscar who said parties should be judged on their record. Let’s just repeat that – a Fianna Fáil politician thinks that parties should be judged on their record. Surely, if that was true, Fianna Fail would be struggling for its very survival…oh, wait.
So what happened in that RTÉ studio on Valentine’s night when Ms. O’Connor, at one point, found herself all alone in her titanic struggle against the evils of Sinn Féin?
Could it be that RTÉ was testing out a new producer who was unaware of the station’s long-established policy of packing discussion panels with anti-Sinn Féin commentators?
Or…could it be that the national broadcaster has finally conceded that Sinn Féin is a legitimate political party and the 500,000-plus citizens who voted for the party deserve a fair hearing?
Anthony Sheridan is a freelance journalist and blogs at Back Garden Philosophy
Judged on their record ? Life sentences please back to back.
*dons black cap*
After covid how can anybody think more government is the answer?
How bad is your life to think this is a good idea?
Eddie Hobbit being described as “eccentric”… Ah hear, a chancer is not an eccentric ffs :)
Eddie is a fruitcake of the highest order and RTE think he’s a genius but he does provide a bit of light relief.
call yourself a journalist. First pitch was an attack on a woman. Have you ever worked for a paper or appeared on TV?
Another fantastic piece Anthony. Not that your output isn’t always good but lately you really have been hitting them out of the park, it’s stuff like that that keeps me hanging in here on Broadsheet, thank you!
As for O’Connor, another middle of the road, boring, pointless courtier doing a poor impression of impartiality.
Ah go on, attack a properly qualified journo. Real man stuff
The continuous attacks by the mass media of all hues on SF are losing their edge due to repetition.
Sinn Fein will look after us if they get in, free houses, free education, free bins, we’ll all be laughing, votail Sinn Fein!
no one thinks that
No matter how much people believe that Sin Fein will be any different to what has been will have a surprise if they win an election. It’ll be more of the same with a little more fairness, perhaps, thrown into the mix. They’re all as bad as each other. The idea of a democratic nation has been corrupted by super wealthy groups and businesses. TTP with its business resolution courts being but one example. Vote or don’t vote it’ll not make a whit of difference. I gave up voting decades ago when I saw how it works, or doesn’t work. Lovely sunny day here in Dublin. Happy daze.
It obviously matters if SF can grow to largest single party. If ennui is yer thing at least use it where applicable.