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Merrionstreet.ie is hosting political content
Read more about: Democracy, Economy, Fianna Fail, Government, Media 
From the start, there have been questions about the government’s number10.gov.uk style website, merrionstreet.ie. Despite the presence of special advisers, media affairs units, and handlers in government offices, there’s supposed to be a clear line between political boosterism and the provision of taxpayer-financed official information.
Yet within an hour of the Taoiseach’s unscheduled Thursday statement to the Dail (Thursday being his privilege day regarding Dail appearances), the website had up this portion of his remarks –
The Government has obtained approval for its National Recovery Plan, provided a proper funding of the State through their negotiation of the EU-IMF package. It will give us the time and space to continue on a path of adjustment to restore economic growth and thereby create jobs and it will allow us to bring our public finances back to order while providing necessary public services to our people.
There is absolutely zero news content to those remarks. There is no new approval or announcement and it sells the IMF/EU package as an achievement and not the culmination of 2.5 years of attempting to avoid exactly that outcome. With an election date now announced, you’d hope that a period of purdah would now cover official government information sources. They’re off to a bad start.
The rot starts with the press handlers, PR fluffers etc. Let them be paid entirely from parties’ funds, or not at all.
merrionstreet didn’t have as much influence as I expected, not that watched it closely though it would strengthen arguments for gov action and achievements, but don’t see it referred too much.