Irish Election are pleased to announce our collection of Irish 
Minister calls Bertie’s interview with Dobson a mistake
Read more about: Bertiegate, Corruption, Scandal, Tribunals
Junior Minister John McGuinness gave an interview on Newstalk’s Lunchtime Show regarding this week’s proceedings at the Mahon Tribunal this afternoon - Newstalk have press released the interview with quotes after the jump. The overall tone of the interview was less than convincing in it’s endorsement of the Taoiseach.
‘Minister McGuinness told Lunchtime with Eamon Keane on Newstalk 106-108fm that he didn’t think Bertie Ahern’s interview with RTE’s 6.01 News was beneficial:
“The case was presented. Maybe that’s part of the difficulty that we’re now experiencing because people are measuring what’s being said against that particular public appeal or public statement. I think they are taking that measurement, those that are interested, those that are still engaged with the Tribunal are perhaps looking at it, and measuring against that public statement. And that’s what’s causing concern and confusion for others, and sadness for more people, so there’s a whole mixture of emotions in there.”
Eamon Keane then asked Minister McGuinness if the RTE interview was a mistake:
“Given the amount of information that has emerged from the Tribunal since then, it was perhaps better if all of that had emerged, or been allowed to emerge without any intervention. It’s always a judgement call to as to whether you’ll do something at the beginning, the middle or the end of a contribution to a court case or a Tribunal, and sometimes you’re better to hold your peace and to say nothing, and maybe that might have been a better course to take in this instance. But what’s done is done and there’s nothing you can say about that.”
Minister McGuinness also outlined the damage the Tribunal evidence is having on the public as well as Fianna Fail:
“There is now doubt that it is having an effect on the party. No political party would like to see its leader pulled around like this, in these sorts of circumstances. There is no doubt about that. Publicly, I suppose people are concerned about the Tribunal and what’s happening there. And it’s up to the Taoiseach to convince them otherwise… It’s hard for me on a personal basis to see him in that difficulty or to see that evidence being given because of all the questions it brings up.”
That interview was pathetic. I felt as though Dobson & Ahern were reading from prepared scripts.
If Dobson hopes to make it as an investigative reporter, it would be best if he put his ambitions aside.
He is very definitely not Robin Day; John Freeman or Jeremy Paxman.
Eamonn Dunphy would have done a better job - or Eoghan Harris.
Perhaps Dobson is a FF supporter? He sounded almost in awe of de Bert’s bleatings.
He certainly made no effort to land any punches on a man who is usually lost without the notes prepared by his vast PR team.
Best that FF get shot of this liability, both to their crooked party and, much more particularly, to Ireland and its fragile future.
The interview served a crucial role for Bertie. It told the story of the “dig-outs”. The media coverage since then has taken the dig-outs as fact. Yet the Tribunal cannot find a shred of evidence that they ever occurred. From Bertie’s side, it’s his explanation of why all this money was sloshing around various accounts. It was working well, at least in terms of a story that couldn’t be directly contradicted, till the Irish Permanent accounts surfaced and poor Grainne couldn’t maintain her story. So if McGuinness follows his argument to its logical conclusion (which he won’t), it’s Bertie’s whole strategy for dealing with the Tribunal that has been a mistake.
Dobson seemed very much to facilitate Ahern rather than interrogate him and perhaps he was more in fear of appearing bias than he was in fear of Ahern himself.
If I remember correctly he didn’t seem to even notice when Ahern himself brought up information on a second round of “dig outs”, in addition to the first round that was already in the public conciousness.
I wouldn’t necessarily slight Dobson for that - he may have felt that his job wasn’t to briskly challenge Ahern’s version of events (That’s what the tribunal is there for) but rather to get every aspect of that version into the open for the public’s benefit.
There’s no doubt that it benefited Ahern and Fianna Fáil in the short term but in the words of Reverend Wright, the chickens are coming home to roost and it is now being used as the barometer for what has come to light since.
As for McGuinness’ interview, the semantics of what he said to show a significant cooling off of support in his case at least… If I’m not mistaken he would have been one of the many FFers lining up to pledge their allegiance before now. It’s also notable that he’s one of the few FFers actually poking his head out of the trench to say anything at all.
Should have been Miriam O’Callahgan doing the interview.
Simon,
There is plenty of time for her to do just that.
Always assuming that RTE, funded by the Fianna Fail Government’s tax revenues & controlled by its censors, would allow a full & frank interrogation (interview).
Of course, the License Holders, who pay for RTE, could demand an unbiased interview.
All they have to do is withhold their Licence Fees.
It’s what Bertie’s greatest best friends in the Trade Union Movement would do, if they didn’t get their own way.