The Taoiseach Has No Clothes

Biffo-Gate rolls on: Michael Kennedy was on Today on RTE Radio 1 this morning where, in fairness to Pat Kenny, he had his ass handed to him. Michael Kennedy fumed and blustered that the pictures and the reporting of the pictures by RTE news were "a personal offence to the Office of An Taoiseach" and "an affront to the role of An Taoiseach."

He made repeated mention of the amount of money that RTE get in the licence fee, and failed when questioned by Kenny to explain why he has complained to RTE, but not to the privately owned Sunday Tribune. Kennedy also tried to get the mammies of Ireland on his side saying that it was an "affront to Brian Cowen's wife, children", but most gravely, his mother.

Michael Kennedy, as it has been pointed out before, is more than happy to try and whip up fervour against single parents and now seems keen to whip up fervour against RTE. He said that part of the reason that he made his quite laughable Press Release was that his wife saw the report and her first thought was of how "ashamed" she would feel if someone did that to her husband. Now there's an idea for an aspiring artist...

Pat Kenny, displaying a sense of humour clearly not evident within FF, really couldn't see what all the fuss was about: "If someone did that to me I would like to buy the painting and hang it in my bathroom... My family would laugh like a drain at it."

Eventually they got around to the real news story: The fact that FF is intent on censoring RTE, as has been mentioned here before, and seem to have a deep seated paranoia that the national broadcaster is full of left-wing-pinko-liberals who are intent on undermining the government.

Pat Kenny: "So you now want to edit what gets on the 9 o'clock news?"

Michael Kennedy: "I hope that RTE will be careful in future of how they portray our Taoiseach and our government ministers"

So that's what it has come to: RTE needs to be careful what it says about FF Ministers, or cryptic talk of withdrawing the licence fee will be made and demands will be made for people within the state broadcaster to resign. What this TD and many in FF do not seem to realise, is that it is not FF that fund RTE, it is the taxpayer, and RTE's first duty is to bring unbiased and uncensored news to the citizens of the country, not to do fluff pieces on how fantastic the government is. FF is not the state, FF is merely a political party.

Pat went on to read out dozens of texts, mostly lampooning FF, Brian Cowen & Michael Kennedy, with only one or two in favour of Kennedy and his position. Kennedy's reaction?

"Obviously the people listening to your show are anti-FF and anti-government"

I hope that come the next election the people of North Dublin remember that while the economy spiralled down the loo in front of our eyes, while the seriously wealthy were using loopholes to pay less tax, while our hospitals continue to operate worryingly below standard, while corruption continues unfettered, Michael Kennedy TD is worried about a painting of Brian Cowen on the loo.