I never expected to be making an “A* of the day” posting in my blog, but I heard something on the radio yesterday morning that was so astounding that I have to make this inaugural posting.
The programme was “Morning Ireland” and (as I write) a recording of the programme is available here:
Podcast
The interesting part starts about 1 minute in.
The presenter (Cathal Mac Coille) introduces Willie O’Dea, Fianna Fail spokesman for “Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation” to talk about his criticism of the Government for failing to do enough to prevent the loss of 950 jobs in Aviva.
At 3:27 Cathal asked: “Can you point to any announcement of job losses when Fianna Fail were in power, which was mitigated, reduced or delayed by the intervention of any minister, or any Taoiseach from Fianna Fail”.
What a fantastic question!
Willie replied: “I’m sure there have been instances…”
Cathal asked: “You can’t point to one, can you?”
Willie replied (wait for it): “Off the top of my head, first thing in the morning, no I can’t...”
He then rallied with “I don’t have an encyclopaedic knowledge of Irish industrial history to go right back to 1932 to instance every particular single case, and I don’t think I should be expected to either”.
Well done, Willie.
Cathal replied: “No, just asking for one” and then moved on quickly.
I guess in the heat of the moment, Willie was unable to come up with something about his dog having eaten his homework!
But full marks to Cathal for not allowing Willie to get away with this piece of hypocrisy.
The problem here is that Fianna Fail are operating under a number of illusions. The first is that they are providing a credible opposition. The second is that anyone cares a jot about anything they have to say about anything.
I have heard Micheál Martin starting to make similar criticisms of the current Government. These guys need to take a good look in the mirror, remember their roles in the decimation of our economy during the last government, keep their heads down and their mouths shut, and give thanks every day to the voters who (against all reason) put 20 of them back into the Dáil.