The Real Agenda of RTE

national | worker & community struggles and protests | opinion/analysis Tuesday February 03, 2009 19:17 by Clare Gallagher

Biased coverage of the Public Sector

What a biased media rhetoric we really have in this country! The agenda of RTE has become apparent to anyone tuning in to so-called National Broadcaster that it serves to maintain the interests of the social order.

Divided we fall
by Clare Gallagher Tue 03 Feb 2009 07:12:12 PM CST
What a biased media rhetoric we really have in this country! The agenda of RTE has become apparent to anyone tuning in to so-called National Broadcaster that it serves to maintain the interests of the social order. In the last 24 hours alone we see some striking examples: on Q&A John Bowman cut off the only questioner to ask the reasonable question of why the ordainary public servant should have to pick up bill for the banks' crazy excesses. He was cut off by Bowman with the response "That's an interesting question and we'll come back to that later." He didn't come back to it later. The panel on Q&A didn't jump in field that question either - two TDs (one FF and one FG) and two right-wing financial 'experts' (although I'm reluctant to use that term in relation to Eddie Hobbs) were hardly keen to address the point. Pat Kenny's show this morning discussed how teachers hasd received a 40% pay increase in the last 5 years - I can assure you readers that we absolutely have not! My pay increases over the past five years amount to approximately 5% (plus an additional 9% in bench-marking). Mary Wilson, on Drive-time cut off Labour TD Roisin Shortall once she raised that same point. When are we going to acknowledge the elephant in the room? - THAT ORDINARY WORKERS, WHETHER PUBLICLY OR PRIVATELY EMPLOYED, DID NOT CREATE THIS MESS, AND AS SUCH SHOULDN'T HAVE TO FOOT THE BILL. I'm sure IBEC's Chief Executive is quite pleased with the situation this evening; his organisation has effectively gotten the green light to decimate the private sector by undermining pay and conditions in the public sector first. In short, the government has danced to this tune and RTE's broadcasting has helped them on their way.