Brendan O’Regan
‘Engaging’ crime debates dominated last week’s viewing, highlighting the ‘suffering’ local community, writes Brendan O’Regan
Crime has figured large in media discussions of late, what with the current Garda controversy and the gangland shootings. The Gardaí as a body seem to be suffering from a bad dose of ‘institutionitis’ and between that and the cutbacks it seems they are not as effective as they could be.
While the discussion has focused heavily on law and order, the social justice aspects haven’t been ignored, and it’s good to hear frequent references to Archbishop Diarmuid Martin joining a procession in Dublin’s North inner city a few weeks ago to highlight what the local community is suffering in the current crime spree.
This event was mentioned yet again on last weekend’s Saturday with Claire Byrne (RTÉ Radio 1). On that show, I was impressed by Councillor Gary Gannon who said we needed more than just a policing solution – inequality and deprivation were the enemy in these areas.
Like most on the show, I agreed with Noel Rock TD that it was a “horrendous editorial decision” to show footage of a recent murder on news websites.
Of all those crime debates one of the most engaging was on The Right Hook, (Newstalk) on Wednesday of last week. Newstalk’s Political Editor Shane Coleman was at one with security analyst Declan Power in maintaining that the key issue in tackling gangland crime was greater development of surveillance and intelligence.
No amount of new young guards coming from Templemore could solve the problem but Power suggested that they should rehire some of the retired Gardai on contract as they had a wealth of expertise.
Over the top
Hook was characteristically over the top with his law and order shtick, suggesting internment and saying he didn’t mind if the gangsters were shooting each other. I hope he was just winding up the others in studio.
More worryingly, the Irish Independent columnist Liam Collins also admitted an “illiberal view” – “we do have a judiciary who presume that everybody is innocent regardless of what they have done”. That begs a few questions and I’d be very concerned if we didn’t have such a judiciary.
I found myself agreeing quite a lot with Shane Coleman who should get an award for his comprehensive coverage of the recent political scene across a whole range of Newstalk’s current affairs programmes. Not only does he contribute moderation and common sense as a commentator, but is always at the ready to take the helm on any of these shows as well as ably hosting his own Sunday show, which, last weekend also concentrated on crime and justice, with all guests welcoming the lash given to aspects of Garda culture by the Policing Authority.
It’s not a crime, but media bias is surely an injustice. Last week the Broadcasting Authority (BAI), for the second time in six months, upheld a complaint against the Ray D’Arcy Show (RTÉ Radio 1) relating to the abortion issue. I wonder if any lessons have been learned.
Last week, D’Arcy interviewed Jack Chambers, new Fianna Fáil TD and currently the youngest TD in Dáil Éireann. Overall it was a cheerful, respectful interview. Chambers told about his early interest in politics and how much he was influenced by the late Brian Lenihan Junior.
D’Arcy explored Chambers’ concerns about mental health policy and the issue of how much vitriol the young TD had been subjected to on social media over his pro-life views. D’Arcy pressed him on this and while he didn’t get into too much detail he did stress that it was important to uphold and maintain the constitutional protection for the unborn child, and also that there were co-existing rights at play here.
I felt D’Arcy once again showed his own bias on the matter – he spoke of a woman who had a baby with “fatal foetal abnormalities” who “has to travel” for an abortion. No Ray, she doesn’t ‘have to’, she chooses to do so, when there are other options.
He referred to the “right to travel” for a procedure that’s not illegal in another jurisdiction, though my understanding is that legally this is a freedom to travel rather than a right, an important distinction. Then he said this was “constitutional hypocrisy” – note he was giving his own opinion rather than asking his guest whether he thought it was such, as a more impartial interviewer might have done.
There are pennies that need to drop.
Pick of the week
Unappreciated Angels
RTÉ Radio 1 Extra, Saturday, June 4, 5pm
A boarding school memoir in which time past and time present are stitched together in an intimate portrait of convent boarding school life in the 1950s and 60s.
The Big Questions.
BBC 1, Sunday, June 5, 10am
Nicky Campbell (pictured) presents moral, ethical and religious debates from Brunel University, Uxbridge.
The Quest for Shakespeare
EWTN, Friday, June 10, 7.30pm
The Lessons of Lear: Joseph Pearce discusses what the play King Lear reveals.