Wow Fianna Fáil TDs impressed by Republican/Nationalist/Fianna Fáil politicians. Hold the front page.

The fact that Peter Barry was probably the greenest member of that FG government is neatly skipped over.

Pretty pathetic Mary – its that kind of attitude that let the likes of CJH get away with what he did – did he compliment you on your hair or nail polish or something else that made you giggle like a schoolgirl – yep thought so. Not such a professional media person now it seems.

Maybe if you’d asked them proper questions like why they are incapable of taking a stand against those who are patently doing wrong you’d be getting somewhere or is that expecting too much of the modern media.

They say the Devil is a gentleman too.

Many thanks for your comments all. You’re right Keith I should try that! Robespierre, when you describe Peter Barry as green (small ‘g’ I note!) do you mean he was naive? (Assume it’s not a reference to tea!)

In response to Desmond Fitzgerald I would like to say his aggression is misplaced. Haughey is the shadow hanging over this (admittedly light) piece and it would have been fairly easy to leave his name out of it completely. My impression of the entire item is the innocuous “by numbers” responses of Ahern and Andrews. A mention of Haughey’s name is now political poison and the byline “A gentleman to his fingertips” is slightly akin to the comments on Hitler and his kindness to dogs.
But I’ll remember the article for the nasty, cheap comment : “did he compliment you on your hair or nail polish or something else that made you giggle like a schoolgirl” It seems the mindless machismo of the “Mohair Mafia” are with us still. This is the real undercurrent we should worry about – the cause, not the symptom.

Now that is interesting sjbyrne. Could you give us a clue til we see Moddo’s PRejudiCes?

@9: I think I made a perfectly valid point.

The media is also responsible in its own way for some of the problems Ireland faces due to its fawning coverage of politicans, especially those in power and especially Fianna Fáil ones. You would never ever see a UK politican interviewed in the way Irish ones are – there isn’t a single Irish media personality (let’s be honest they’re not really journalists) who comes close to Jeremy Paxman or John Humpries or even Nick Robinson or Jon Snow.

I read the interview with Andrews and not once was he tackled on why he has completely and utterly failed to push through reform of child services – all he does is commission yet more reports. Nothing has changed for those in the care system (just ask a social worker) and as you read this you can be sure there are dozens of children still – despite all the horrors that were revealed – suffering the extreme end of abuse and neglect but I’m sure they’ll feel comfort that Andrews is on the case – not!

So to be honest I don’t want to see any more soft focus interviews with Irish politicans when there is not one single government department that would pass a ‘fit for purpose’ test. Ireland can’t afford the luxury of the fawning interview so beloved of the Irish political media.

Perhaps you’re one of the lucky people for whom the recession is someting you read about so you have time and energy to allow your sensibilities to be offended. Or maybe you’re one of the many Irish still in denial about the implications of unquestioning deference to those given authority on our behalf.

When Andrews completes reform of the depth and scale (60% of which doesn’t even require money but achange in attitude to information from the top down) required in his department then I’ll doff my hat to him and acknowledge his achivements.

The first thing he could do is get the 500 absolute worst cases in the system and start from there, getting each social worker assigned to do a memo of what they need or thinks needs to be done and then sign off on it without question. Then he might at least have some credibility to ask for some breathing space to deal with the bigger issue but of course he won’t and when he skulks off his Dun Laoighaire home in his state car no doubt the fact he’ll pass by children begging or young people taking drugs or sleeping rough – he’ll do what most people like him do and turn the other way.

People like Ms Minihan have a professional responsibility to hold those in positions of power to account not to be their pal – leave the soft focus nonsense to rubbish like VIP.

Hi thanks again all…perhaps I should have linked to front-page news piece which is where I put the ‘harder’ news elements of the Barry Andrews interview? It’s here: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2010/0803/1224276089029.html (sorry about the long link – technology not co-operating today!) All the best, Mary

So Haughey was a gentleman to his fingertips? Would these be the same fingertips in the till and our pockets? Fagin was a gentleman to his fingers as were his young apprentices such as the Dodger. There was no Oliver Twist around Haughey, just Fagin-like apprentices. This piece was short on hard questions and shorter on answers

Of all i know of this time is must be a provocation.
The Junkies in the Dublin. door ways are slowly appearing again.

Always give credit where due, & let he/she who is without sin,throw the first stone.Re CJH, he did do a bit to promote the arts in Ireland.Anyway, I have always thought Wilde’s “The picture of Dorian Grey” could have been set in Kinsealy,with the Squire in the main role!

Haughey was not “a gentleman to his fingertips”!!