Big broadcasters next under threat

If you think the newspaper industry is in a bad place, take a look at leading broadcasters. RTE could go bust in the autumn claims the Independent ( itself struggling to survive.) Director-general Cathal Goan has cautioned that up to 300 jobs are now under threat. The cash-strapped station is facing a “worst case scenario” of a budget loss of up to £87 million (€100m) — far more than the current estimate of £59 million (€68m) . The Irish Times …

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Fine Gael prepared to work with Sinn Fein (to unseat Eoin Ryan)?

I didn’t see it at the time, but there was the strangest line yesterday’s Irish Mail on Sunday from Fine Gael’s director of elections Frank Flannery, saying his party was prepared to work with Sinn Féin at some future point. Paul O’Brien in the Examiner reckons he has unearthed a viable rationale: Judging by Dermot Ahern’s remarks, Fianna Fáil believes Mr Flannery’s comments are aimed at persuading Fine Gael supporters to give their transfers, or second preferences, to Sinn Féin. …

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Is Mrs Dodds the DUP’s Sarah Palin?

For weeks I’ve been hearing complaints from the minor parties that neither Sinn Fein nor the DUP were willing to let their candidates appear on television with those of the minor parties. It’s the kind of powerlock you can use, if you are one of the big boys, er girls… But it never crossed my mind until last Thursday’s comparatively poor performance by Diane Dodds (leaving an impressive Jim Allister the last word was poor negotiation on the DUP’s part) …

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In the Euros, main party establishments are hanging on, but new threat to Chancellor emerges

In both the Republic and the UK, the main opposition parties are leading the government by a huge margin, the crucial difference being that Fianna Fail have more than a two year breathing space in which to recover; while for Labour, the sands of time run out in a year’s time and Labour is actually trailing at third. Both sets of polling results suggest that the political establishments will manage to survive, with the qualification that a very low poll …

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