Brendan O’Regan
There are many things that make me proud to be Irish – high on the list is our peace keeping service with the United Nations.
On The Pat Kenny Show (Newstalk, Tuesday) security expert Declan Power outlined the work our troops do overseas, with particular reference to our peacekeepers in Lebanon, under pressure at the moment because of the spreading war in the Middle East. He didn’t want to see them pulling out because they were providing useful and independent information on what was going on in the area and supporting vulnerable civilians during lulls in the fighting and bombing.
The topic resurfaced on the same show last Friday, after UN positions had come under attack, by Israeli defence forces. Fortunately, there were no fatalities and no injuries to Irish soldiers, but the situation continues to be worrying. Lieutenant General Sean Clancy, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, stressed how the UN troops were putting themselves in the way of harm in the service of others and for that we should be grateful. He pointed out how it was tough on their families as well, though they managed to keep Wi-Fi going so the troops could stay in regular contact with home.
That evening on Drivetime (RTÉ Radio 1) it was reported that the UN force’s cameras were being sniped at and that that the Israeli Defence Forces were conducting a review of what happened. Minister of State Jennifer Carroll MacNeill spoke of the ‘escalating and dangerous situation’, criticised Israel’s ‘overwhelming overreach’ and wanted the return of hostages.
There’s a lot in the media of late about conspiracies and the far right. On Drivetime (RTÉ Radio 1, Friday). David Gilbert of online magazine Wired spoke to Sarah McInerney, but his comments begged a few questions. For example, he suggested that right wing conspiracy theories were born in part out of mistrust of mainstream media, governments and institutions. But there was little insight into why this was. It might be Government misinformation, or politicians getting elected on one policy (e.g. flaunting their pro-life credentials) and then changing position when elected, sometimes to the complete opposite. It seems they go ‘on a journey’ (mysterious!) This mistrust was seen as a problem, yet we are constantly told that to counter far right disinformation, we must have a healthy mistrust as a default position, and be fact checking everything.
Protests at libraries about the questionable gender and sex related content in school and library books was given as another example of far-right theories being ‘taken wholesale’ from the USA, but there was no acknowledgement of the legitimate concerns of parent in this matter.
The Hard Shoulder (Newstalk, Friday) dealt with the related topic of hate speech and hate crime. Senator Eileen Flynn was not happy that the hate speech element of the upcoming bill was being removed, as she thought there was a need for it. Shaykh Dr. Umar Al-Qadri, a Muslim cleric, was more moderate – favouring hate speech legislation but more concerned of the need to protect free speech and have clear definitions. People should have a right to criticise his religious ideas and values, he said. A reference to an increase in hate crime was mentioned, but how can this be when there isn’t yet any hate crime legislation? He mentioned people inciting others, but incitement is already illegal, so the need for fresh legislation wasn’t clear. It was a rather one-sided item, balanced only by a clip at the start from Sen. Michael McDowell criticising the proposed legislation.
Another controversy was discussed on Lunchtime Live (Newstalk, Tuesday) – teachers wishing to be employed in Catholic schools having to have a certificate in Religious Education. That sounds reasonable enough, but some are not happy about it and see it as an obstacle to employment, as most schools are Catholic run and many teachers are no Catholic or not practising if they are.
Whatever the case you’d certainly want those teaching the Catholic faith and preparing children for the sacraments to be people of faith themselves. Sadly, that’s not always the case.
There were no fewer than four voices against the measure, with no-one to defend the requirement, apart from a few texters. Presenter Andrea Gilligan did ask a few challenging questions and made some points for the other side of the argument, but, in the cause of fairness and impartiality, they should have had some defenders speaking on the show.
PICK OF THE WEEK
The Meaning of Life
RTE One Sunday October 20, 10:30pm
Joe Duffy speaks with CEO of Tilting the Lens, disability advocate and accessibility consultant, Sinéad Burke.
EWTN News Presents: The Synod on Synodality
EWTN Monday October 21, midday
Coverage of the synod in Rome.
The Sixth Commandment
RTE One Wednesday October 23, 10.35pm
Fact based drama series about a seminary student who inveigles his way into the lives of vulnerable elderly people – especially a celibate homosexual professor who is a man of genuine faith.