Earlier today the Newstalk presenter Pat Kenny interviewed Eoin Ó Broin, Sinn Féin TD for Dublin Mid-West, on the continuing debacle of so-called “water charges”, a form of punitive double-taxation formerly favoured by the political right. Stymied in his belligerent, hectoring line of questioning the affluent radio and television celebrity launched a blistering attack on Ó Broin and his party, raising patently biased and historically inaccurate issues quite unrelated to the subject at hand. Of course, this is not the first time that the conservative journalist has lost his temper live on-air while debating with left-wing or progressive politicians and activists. He’s rapidly become the Bill O’Reilly of Irish broadcasting, a status reflected in the right-leaning press leaping to his defence in their online editions after this morning’s embarrassing display.
By the by, isn’t it telling how Pat Kenny, voice of the media orthodoxy, interprets the recent conflict in the north-east of the country, as one begun by Irish people and not through the actions of the British occupiers of our island? That level of wilful ignorance, that partitionist belief in the theory that the Irish nation ends at the start of a foreign imposed border, is simply astonishing. Not to mention his bizarre division of the population into “ordinary working people” and those who “don’t work”, a Trump-worthy bit of dog-whistle rhetoric for the libertarian right.
(Audio extract via Mark Moloney)
How anyone can take this vapid shill seriously is beyond me. Especially since the bizarre episode where he tried to annex part of his neighbour’s garden.
Ah yes, “Pat Kenny and wife ‘annexed’ property, court told” and “Pat Kenny claims squatters’ rights as legal row escalates“.
Montrose? “Daddy got me this job” RTE are a joke, who listens?
These days, fewer and fewer.
Siteserv, now called Actavo, dropping a name that has made more headlines than any other Irish corporation that supplies the water meters, owned by Dennis O’Brien . Newstalk owned by Dennis O’Brien, is there any connection?? have a laugh at Pat having a hissy fit in 2008.
What a nasty piece of work that man is, in this type of interview Kenny is in control of the mixing desk, Eoin Ó Broin should have been much more tough, a bully like this man is either slapped down and has some manners put upon him, or you don’t go on his show. He invited Eoin on yet he refused to let him complete his answers, no surprise there it is why people like him get the job.
Not the first time that Kenny has had a bit of an eruption on air, though his choice of targets speaks volumes.
Thought Ó Broin handled it perfectly. Let Kenny rant and rave and come off like a clown while he made his point clearly and well.
I haven’t paid a lot of attention to SF backbenchers as I have an impression they’re people of no great ability rising on the green tide but Ó Broin impressed me there.
Sent complaint concerning interview, Pat Kenny was an absolute disgrace .
to Newstalk?? wasting your time I am afraid..they aim at the right wing market that hates leftist or Republican views
Now that is the action that is required!