Sir, - I refer to the current controversy regarding the position of Mr Niall Stokes as chairman of the Independent Radio and Television Commission.
During the divorce campaign, two matters arose which caused me considerable concern in my capacity as chairman of the No Divorce Campaign.
Meetings were arranged all over the country by local groups opposed to divorce and I travelled to counties in the four provinces of Ireland to address such meetings, all of which were very well attended. I was informed by local organisers that virtually no meetings were being convened by those supporting divorce. One such meeting, held in Donegal, and attended by a Fine Gael councillor and a member of the Fine Gael National Executive, attracted an audience of only two persons (according to my informants) - both opposed to divorce.
In this situation, we were outraged to hear that a directive had gone out from the Independent Radio and Television Commission to all independent radio stations around the country instructing them not to accept or broadcast notices about meetings connected with the Divorce Referendum, on the basis, apparently, that it was a "political" issue.
Secondly, we were informed by our supporters in Co Kerry that unlimited time was given to the Minister for Equality and Law Reform, Mr Taylor, and Mr Alan S.hatter TD, to air their views on divorce on the local radio and local people were invited to phone in and put their questions to the Minister or the Deputy. When one member of the public phoned in to point out that the local people would not be well versed in the issues involved, and to inquire why no one had been invited from the No Divorce or Anti Divorce Campaigns to debate the issues with the two Government speakers, he was told that this was because the local radio "wanted to keep the matter local".
These two episodes raised serious doubts in my mind as to how independent our independent radio (and the IRTC) really were.
Finally, I wish to state that what I would regard as the ugliest blasphemy which I have ever seen in print appeared in the Christmas edition of Hot Press under the heading of "The Birthday Boy", accompanied by a grotesque picture of a man's face presumably intended as a caricature of Jesus. I wish to ask Mr Stokes, and his patron, Mr Michael D. Higgins, whether Mr Stokes accepts responsibility for this publication and I ask all members of Dail Eireann to obtain a copy and study it. The answer to this question appears to me to have a much greater bearing on the suitability of Mr Stokes to continue in office in the IRTC than the other questions which have been very properly raised by the Opposition parties. - Yours, etc.,
Mountjoy Square,
Dublin 1.