Advertise
-
Books
-
Spare us a phoney row about racism, we’ve got enough on
A silly media row about racism just had to figure in the riots’ post mortem. Was the Tudor history expert David Starkey racist on Newsnight when he said: The whites have become black. A particular sort of violent, destructive, nihilistic, gangster culture has become the fashion. And black and white, boy and girl, operate in [...] read our review »
-
Belfast port celebrated as hopes rise for lower corporation tax
The House of Lords was the suitably grand venue for the London launch of Alf McCreary’s magnificently illustrated tome Titanic Port, a history of Belfast Harbour. Before I got a chance to take a good look at my copy, my ears pricked up when the chairman of the harbour commissioners Len O’Hagan said hopes were high [...] read our review » -
Ian O’Riordan’s Miles to Run: An invitation to madness?
Ireland is in the middle of a boom – a running boom. Chances are, even if you have never run a step yourself (apart from some painful P.E. classes many moons ago), someone you know has taken up running over the last little while. Road races in Northern Ireland and in the Republic have seen [...] read our review »
-
Very funny Mark!
I can recall watching episodes of Mr Roger’s neighbourhood inmy youthful days in the States. Eddie Murphy did a great sketch based on the show called ‘Mister Robinson’s Neighbourhood’ on SNL.
BTW
I notice that Vincent Browne has outed Malachi O’Doherty as an IRA man on the debate tonight…..LOL!
Chris,
It was a great debate. VinB puts our media types to shame – he asked the tough questions and then gave them space to hang themselves.
Excellent TV.
He gave them all a good grilling.
Except for Gay Mitchell. Who hung himself…
That was tv gold tonight. Vinny threw everything at McGuinness and he pretty much came out unscathed.
Seven fish in a barrel – Vincent with the gun.
Very entertaining.
Martin McGuinness was outstanding tonight. He even turned the attack dog Gay Mitchell into a puppy eating out of his hand in the end. People in the south are starting to understand why you people like him so much.
Vincent Browne was great but had a few books too many. He should have stuck to the better ones.
Apparently, this is the result of the poll
TV3 Poll
Mary Davis 5%
Seán Gallagher 15%
Michael D. Higgins 13%
Martin McGuinness 34%
Gay Mitchell 8%
David Norris 19%
Dana Rosemary Scallon 6%
Whatever about them individually, seven candidates make these ‘debates’ look like a crappy gameshow.
Sorry, all.
I didn’t realise so many of you would be watching and went with a funny link I’d been passed during the programme.
Next debate I’ll put up a proper thread.
Gay Mitchell’s plan to win the Irish presidency is to do little but continually heckle McGuinness about when he left the IRA.
Could Fine Gael not do better?
Vincent Browne has issued an apology for hiis allegation of IRA membership to Malachi O’Doherty.
Lucky for Vincent, I don’t think Malachi is the type to sue.
Probably just put it in his next book and have a laugh about it
andnowwhat
Failure to sue in these situations is often taken as an admission of guilt. He may have to sue to avoid that.
So I can’t join the Continuity Mo’D then?
TV3 haven’t got the video up on their site yet. Looking forward to watching it. I love the VB show, but it’s on way too late!
McGuinness was the one candidate who survived his own personal onslaught and managed to come out the other end with a real sense of warmth and even a tinge of humour. It could be a defining moment judging by the poll result
keano10,l
Polls like this one are normally of no value whatsover. I noticed that a “proper” poll last weekend gave MMG 11% which is fairly consistent with SF election results. So don’t get your hopes up. Only one poll counts; the one on the day.
[...] across. His quizzing of the candidates, particularly McGuinness, Norris, Davis and Mitchell, was well done and an exercise in the sort of informed journalism that we have come to expect [...]
Joe,
Surely you’re not implying the enigmatic Quantum Research do ‘proper’ polling?
For the uninitiated Quantum Research has no existence outside the Sunday Independent and is not a member of the Association of Irish Market Research Organsiations, which are all other polling companies are.
It is a given in Irish political journalism that Quantum exists to sprinkle a bit of spurious factual basis for what ever line the Sindo is pursuing. eg. ‘Adams to crash in Louth’
Relentless attacks on a candidate rarely benefit the attacker and sometimes help the target. The more negative they get the better for Martin, and while I’m not a big Martin fan, he’s usually sharp as a tack on the hoof.
No, jthree, I know exactly nothing about Irish polling companies. The 11% was simply a figure I noticed on a Slugger thread. If it was a QR result and the QR company is as you claim, then I wouldn’t put much store in their result. I think that MMG will do a good bit better than 11% but nowhere near 34% on the first count.
Phone in or text in polls are only for entertainment. There is a RedC poll out tomorrow afternoon. That will be worth paying attention to.
Whilst to anyone with a grasp of Malachi s opinions of the IRA this is a good joke, I dont think he has any option if not to sue or make a formal protest. In any event, he will be delighted with the attention.
I have often thought that a weakness in GA and MMG position is that they never sue even in cases where most people would to clear their name.
“TV3 haven’t got the video up on their site yet.”
Glensman, the video was up but has since been removed; I watched part of it around 2 am.
Apparently the boredom factor of tweeting drove some folks to turn on their TVs to see the ‘action’. I’d agree with one of the sentiments expressed: entertaining programme – piss-poor candidates. Perhaps the spectacle of Vincent holding the candidates’ feet to the fire attracted a ‘I’m a celebrity, get me out of here’ audience. Here’s a link to the follow-up analysis
I’m watching the video now
http://tv3.ie/presidential-debate-2011/like-o-meter.php
Thanks, andnowwhat. It seems strange that there appears to be no link from the VB webpage.
This is interesting about Mitchell;
http://politico.ie/irish-politics/7926-gay-mitchell-represented-controversial-military-dealer-in-eu-parliament.html
“Presidential candidate Gay Mitchell made a representation to the EU Commission in 2009 on behalf of a controversial Ukrainian aviation businessman who supplied Congolese armed forces with military aircraft. The businessman is attempting to reclaim planes confiscated by Ukraine’s government in 2001. By Malachy Browne and Graham Stack.”
@ repubic of connaught,
Could Fine Gael not do better?
Short answer probably not . What do you expect them to do anyway ? You could remind them and their Labour ‘tail’ that the only difference between them and the previous government in terms of policies is that the second letter is different in the party titles .