Council Of State to discuss the Criminal Law 2007 Bill

national | crime and justice | opinion/analysis

Saturday May 05, 2007 14:01

by C Murray

Unethical election campaign with a right-wing media bias

The mainstream radio stations are covering the announcement by an t'Uachtaran
of the referral of the Criminal Laws 2007 to the Council Of State, if agreement is not
reached then the matter gets referred to the Supreme Court.

http://www.indymedia.ie/article/82244
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/82176

The last act of the Present Minister for Justice was to appoint a number of new Judges.

The Irish Times, surprisingly are leading with an exclusive with photo of Minister
Mc Dowell stating that the PD's have secured further revelations of Taoiseach
Ahern's finances and were reflecting on their position with regard to coalition.

There has been a steady stream of revelation on the matter of those finances and it
has been emanating from the Irish Times.

Ms Geraldine Kennedy stood for the Dail as a PD candidate.
The story which leaked the finances module of Mahon to the
Irish people was carried in the Irish Times, it handed the impetus
of governance for the last six months to a party who with between 2%-4%
of the Natioan vote have introduced the most applalling and questionable
set of legislations to the Irish State since its inception.

Including :-

The Criminal Law sexual offences Bill 2006 (amended 2007)
The Strategic Infrastructure Bill 2006 ( this was a FF bill but had originally
been the CIB under Martin Cullen. Minister Mc Dowell had asked copious
amendments and presided over it's passage through the Oireachtas.
The Criminal Law 2007 Bill , which was originally a 'counter gangland measure'.

Further to that, this election 2007 campaign has been one of the dirtiest
I can remember with smears and leakage all the way. It is characterised
by an overweening media led systemisation of two apparently distinct
'choices' and an almost complete unwillingness to give equal and fair
time to smaller parties. News Bulletins are begun with the leaks and followed
by the alternative coalition'News' and the main parties are dominating national
Print media.

If the Rainbow were a viable option then their refusal to take on the issues
of the nursing strike, environmental issues and the abortion issue would be
clear , but instead they dodge the problems being brought to their door; and mouth
inanities about the economy.

The referral of another piece of flawed and inadequate legislation based in a
biased media approach to the legislature is definitely not on the main page
of http://www.ireland.com, it is not in the breaking news section. I.T is leading
with Minister's M C Dowell's reflections on financial revelation.

We are presented with two specific ideas of what is 'good governance'
and neither campaign has distinguished itself by coming near to the issues
that are mattering to ordinary people, who I can add want to kick both
options to touch and are well pissed off with the side-show that passes
for political discourse in this country.