The Media & Brian Lenihan

**dahamsta** · 01/10/2010, 11:58 AM

Like spudulika's post, I guess this could have fitted in elsewhere, but I think this really could do with a thread of it's own. I'm honestly baffled at the soft hand Lenihan is getting from the media, and I mean that very nearly literally: they might as well be giving him a handjob with the way they're treating him. Now on some level it's understandable that they'd lay a good portion of the blame with Biffo, after all he is the boss; and let's be honest, pig ignorant and an easy target.

However although Biffo is the boss and he does sign off on Lenihan's policies, the policies are Lenihan's. He's the one that decided to prop Anglo up when it becomes clearer every day that it was absolutely the wrong decision, he's the one that employed "consultants" to help make that decision without fixed fees, he's the one drip-feeding billions upon billions of our euros to the banks when it was clear to anyone with a brain in their head that each €5b wasn't going to be the last €5b. And he hasn't made a single proactive decision, every single step has been reactionary.

Yet the media continues to either skip past his involvement, or worse, parade him around as an economic genius; and genpop swallows it as gospel. How is this possible?

adam

**Mr A** · 01/10/2010, 12:07 PM

I was thinking something similar yesterday during his prime time interview. He bullied O'Callaghan completely, didn't answer legitimate questions and actually managed to blame RTE and the opposition for the state of things without ever admitting FF fecked it all up. It was astonishing to see him let away with some of the crap he came out with, especially considering that he has been consistently wrong throughout the crisis. He whines about negativity and yet he keeps underestimating how bad things are.

Was disappointed in Burton's performance, she didn't manage to nail some of the crap that had been spouted by Lenihan, although in fairness the discussion had moved on.

**Billsthoughts** · 01/10/2010, 12:16 PM

I thought he dealt with O Callaghan easily enough. She seemed to ask the hard question, then when he answered forcefully she backed away and moved on to the next one. Which would suggest she wasnt 100% sure of her facts.

I would have liked to have seen her push him a bit more on some things. He feigned indignation when she raised the issue of prosecutions for politicians and she should have called him up on this. At the very least his current boss was deeply involved in all of this.

**Macy** · 01/10/2010, 12:22 PM

Well O'Callaghan has her own "tendencies" - she's never been good at giving FF people a hard time.

But I'm completely baffled since the initial guarantee how Lenihan is portrayed as some FF White Knight by the media, which feeds into some popularity amongst the public. We've seen it on here, with posters criticising his policies and then talking him up as leadership material!

He's as responsible as Ahern, Biffo et al for the position we now find ourselves in. He might not have been in a position to influence how we got here (he did vote for the measures, and was a super junior at the Cabinet table), but his dealing with it has been a disaster.

**dahamsta** · 01/10/2010, 12:54 PM

Thank christ I'm not the only one!

**OneRedArmy** · 01/10/2010, 12:58 PM

1) He's a Lenihan. He's part of the political furniture.
2) He's got cancer, so another reason not to be mean to him
3) Our meedja is full of chumps, by and large

Disagree that he's as responsible as Biffo and Bertie, but I'm blue in the face arguing that one.

P.S. That wasn't an endorsement btw.

**dahamsta** · 01/10/2010, 1:03 PM

Originally Posted by OneRedArmy

2) He's got cancer, so another reason not to be mean to him

Sadly this is problably one of the big factors when it comes to the pussies in our media.

Disagree that he's as responsible as Biffo and Bertie, but I'm blue in the face arguing that one.

I'd agree with you that he's not as responsible as Biffo and Bertie for getting us into this situation in the first place. However I'd argue that he's equally if not more responsible for exacerbating* it. He certainly hasn't handled it like the economic whizkid the idiots in Irish media are painting him as.

It's the international media make me laugh the most though. Irish media are credulous at best, but when you see the FT and WSJ completely flipping their opinions on Ireland with absolutely no reference to their earlier fawning articles, you have to laugh. To be expected from the "new" WSJ though I guess.

* I actually spelt that right first time!

**Mr A** · 01/10/2010, 1:19 PM

That hoorbag McCreevy gets off far, far too lightly in my opinion.

**Lim till i die** · 01/10/2010, 1:42 PM

Vincent Browne gave him a much tougher time of it.

The cancer is a huge, huge, factor IMHO.

Also, on an aside, how on the ball would France 24 be considered with regards to European opinion and what not?? Ireland was the lead on their business news last night and the correspondent seemed fairly full of contempt about the whole thing.

**Dodge** · 01/10/2010, 1:48 PM

France, the French, and most francophiles are full of contempt for everything

**Lim till i die** · 01/10/2010, 1:53 PM

Originally Posted by Dodge

France, the French, and most francophiles are full of tentempt for everything

Contempt to the power of ten??

That does sound very French tbf.

**Dodge** · 01/10/2010, 1:59 PM

Jaysus that wasn't even close to being right (and I didn't say the French are wrong btw)

**dahamsta** · 01/10/2010, 3:44 PM

Ireland was the lead story on Channel 4 News yesterday too, couldn't believe it when I saw it.

McGreedy's got away with murder alright, and now he's riding the EU having left for private business. He's the consummate FF scam and bullsh*t artist.

**Kingdom** · 01/10/2010, 4:01 PM

We wouldn't have CA discussions in the family home all too often, but a few weeks ago I was there after a match talking about something Ireland Inc related and referenced Lenihan, the cancer, being allowed to remain as Min. Finance and the soft ride he was getting from media. The father was incredulous, and the mother was disappointed that I could be so cynical. I wouldn't say they're the only ones that think that way.

**mypost** · 01/10/2010, 4:22 PM

Last night's interview was a disgrace.

Not once did Lenihan appear to show any remorse or apologise to the nation for the mess he and his government had got the country into. Lots of talk about how we're going to do this and that, as there has been for the last two years.

In the past two years, he has repeatedly got the bank bailout figures wrong, the budgets wrong, and the deficits wrong. Despite all the taxes and public spending cuts, the deficit has barely closed at all, while unemployment continues to rise. Every sector of society has been hit, and hit hard, everything Brussels has asked has been granted, and it's made no difference to our economy and the state of the nation.

Despite these failings, and lack of contrition for the cause of them, he is the rather bizarre favourite to succeed Cowen as FF leader. What he has going for him is his ability to look and sound Presidential, even if what he says invariably turns out to be a load of bullocks. Surely, it can't be possible to be worse in office than Cowen. Can it?

**John83** · 01/10/2010, 4:38 PM

What's the story with Lenihan's cancer anyway? I was under the impression when the story broke that he was not expected to last the year. I ask because I read somewhere yesterday that people want Lenihan to replace Cowen before the next general election. This wasn't it, but here's a link. That makes me wonder if it's been claimed that he's not as sick as was initially reported, or if Irish people are just staggeringly stupid.

**Dodge** · 01/10/2010, 5:44 PM

Little from column A and little...

I know e only works 4 day weeks so you'd imagine taoiseach woujld be too mcuh to handle. You'd imagine...

**Macy** · 01/10/2010, 6:25 PM

Originally Posted by Dodge

I know e only works 4 day weeks so you'd imagine taoiseach woujld be too mcuh to handle. You'd imagine...

4 days a week, as Minister for Finance with all this crap going on!?!?! FFS...

**Bluebeard** · 01/10/2010, 8:15 PM

Would part of the media softness be related to their remorse felt after giving his Daddy a hard time back in 1990, before realising how bad his health was? I felt that they have really polished him into something grander than ever he was. Could the ease his son gets be part of a legacy of guilt on the part of the press?

**hedderman** · 01/10/2010, 10:11 PM

Originally Posted by OneRedArmy

1) He's a Lenihan. He's part of the political furniture.
2) He's got cancer, so another reason not to be mean to him
3) Our meedja is full of chumps, by and large

Disagree that he's as responsible as Biffo and Bertie, but I'm blue in the face arguing that one.

P.S. That wasn't an endorsement btw.

4) He's one of the very few Irish politicians who can string a sentence together.

In regard to the Miriam O'Callaghan interview, I don't rate her at all as a serious journalist. At one point she described Ireland as having the "worst economic crisis in the world at the moment." With throwaway comments like that, Lenihan could just bat that back at her and change the focus of the interview.

What I don't understand was all this talk of bringing AIB back to its former "greatness" and restore our banking system to "greatness". It's nonsense.

As an aside,did anyone see that episode of the Savage Eye where one guy did a great Brian Lenihan impression with the caption "Minister for Breathlessness to convey sincerity?"