Tonight With Vincent Browne Thread v2.0

M cebee

crap host

Lady Chatterton

take everything wrote: »

It'll be extremely interesting to see what he does with Health this year.
Reports recently of Limerick Regional in serious difficulty.
Meanwhile he's talking about reducing waiting times further- not sure how he's going to do that.

Limerick Regional Hospital is in crisis since A&E services were removed from Ennis and Nenagh Hospitals in April 2009. This week the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation called for the implementation of a major disaster plan in the hospital to cope with the unprecedented overcrowding.

Limerick Regional should have been given extra resources before services were relocated from Ennis and Nenagh but this didn't happen and the results are there for all to see.

Lady Chatterton

Many of us were wondering why Sam Smyth was presenting the VB Show last week, it would appear now that TV3 were anxious to show the world and Michael Lowry's legal team that they were standing by their man.

Michael Lowry tried unsuccessfully last week to sue Sam Smyth in a personal capacity for comments he made on TV3 and in the Irish Independent. The judge found there was insufficent evidence to prove libel. I'm delighted that Sam won his case and fair play to TV3 for supporting him through what must have been a worrying week for him and his family.

A good day for journalism' as Lowry loses libel appeal

Saturday February 11 2012

DISGRACED Independent TD Michael Lowry has lost his legal battle to sue veteran Irish Independent journalist Sam Smyth for libel.

The high-profile bid was thwarted yesterday by the President of the High Court, Mr Justice Nicholas Kearns, who observed that the controversial North Tipperary TD had never denied that he was a tax cheat.

The libel battle marked a new low between Mr Lowry and Mr Smyth, the only Irish member of the renowned International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ), whose home and other assets were at risk in the event of a successful lawsuit by Mr Lowry.

This is because Mr Lowry chose to pursue Mr Smyth in a personal capacity rather than suing the Irish Independent and TV3, where the alleged libels were made.

Reasonable

Mr Lowry sued Mr Smyth under new laws passed in 2009, which allow a judge to declare a defamation has occurred, without a libel trial, if a defendant -- in this case Mr Smyth -- has no defence that is reasonably likely to succeed.

The new law was designed to rid the courts of vexatious and abusive libel claims.

But Mr Justice Kearns ruled that far from having no reasonable defence, Mr Smyth had, on the contrary, "a good arguable defence" in respect of both of the alleged libels, which Mr Lowry claimed wrongly meant he was a thief and corrupt politician.

Because he failed to get past the "declaratory post", Mr Lowry can not now reinstate the libel action against Mr Smyth. He has also been ordered to pay Mr Smyth's legal costs.

Speaking afterwards, Mr Smyth said the decision represented "a good day for journalism". Mr Lowry was not in court.

The first alleged defamatory matter related to comments by Mr Smyth on June 24, 2010, on 'Tonight with Vincent Browne' on TV3 (when discussing the Moriarty tribunal) that Mr Lowry was "caught" with "his hand in the till". The second was an article by Mr Smyth in the Irish Independent on May 27, 2010, concerning the tribunal following a "money trail" into property transactions to which it felt Mr Lowry was linked.

Mr Smyth denied comments by him during the TV3 show meant Mr Lowry was a thief but said he did believe the politician was a liar and tax cheat.

Yesterday's ruling arose out of an appeal by Mr Lowry to the High Court against the refusal of Circuit Court Judge Margaret Heneghan to grant him a declaratory order.

Mr Justice Kearns yesterday accepted Mr Lowry's arguments that evidence given to a tribunal, or a finding of a tribunal, has no evidential value in other proceedings, including defamation proceedings, and therefore Mr Smyth was not entitled to rely as "evidence" in any defence on reports and findings of the McCracken and Moriarty Tribunals concerning Mr Lowry.

A "roadmap" was disclosed in such reports, which indicated a way for Mr Smyth to marshal a defence without being forced to rely on the tribunals' findings, he said.

Mr Smyth was entitled to argue that the words "hand in till" may be taken as referring to tax fraud and bills inappropriately picked up for the benefit of Mr Lowry by business interests.

- Dearbhail McDonald Legal Editor

Irish Independent

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/a-good-day-for-journalism-as-lowry-loses-libel-appeal-3016622.html?start=2

evolving_doors

MrsD007 wrote: »

it would appear now that TV3 were anxious to show the world and Michael Lowry's legal team that they were standing by their man.

How did it appear they were anxious? For that matter how did it appear now as opposed to a few days ago?
This sounds like journo spin you'd read in the daily mail

MrsD007 wrote: »

...fair play to TV3 for supporting him through what must have been a worrying week for him and his family.

i doubt he was worried in the slightest, he's been doing this game for yonks and probably relishes his day in court, his family probably have more important things to be worrying about..

It would appear now that Sam Smyth and his family and his cat 'fizzles' were anxious to show the entire universe who gives a dam about a throw away comment 'hand in the till' and Michael Lowery's pet dog 'Bruno' that they were standing by their man which is highly unusual.

woodoo

Vincent looks in a bad mood. That forced smile before the break spells trouble for one of his guests tonight

irishh_bob

i fear this debate could be framed in a predictable fashion , i.e . crime = poverty , a pity as a programme devoted to our incredibly over rated police force would be very welcome , the media in this country gives the guards a very soft ride

tayto lover

irishh_bob wrote: »

i fear this debate could be framed in a predictable fashion , i.e . crime = poverty , a pity as a programme devoted to our incredibly over rated police force would be very welcome , the media in this country gives the guards a very soft ride

Not while your around.

Lapin

woodoo wrote: »

Vincent looks in a bad mood. That forced smile before the break spells trouble for one of his guests tonight

I thought that was Vincent in a good mood. :cool:

Harry Angstrom

It was all going so well until he introduced Ivana Bacik. I can't stand that pompous woman. :mad:

JonathanAnon

Paul Williams was saying at the weekend that if the Gardaí DID saturate a working class area with checkpoints to prevent the gun crime, "people like Vincent Browne" would call it victimisation of the working class...

Wonder will he mention it was a Traveller fued.. ? That girl should have been NOWHERE near that car if people were looking out for her..

Min

I can't stand Ivana Bacik, at least the people of Dun Laoghaire refuse to elect her.

JonathanAnon

Min wrote: »

I can't stand Ivana Bacik, at least the people of Dun Laoghaire refuse to elect her.

They elected Rich Boy Barrett, was that better?? :eek::eek:

irishh_bob

tayto lover wrote: »

Not while your around.

do you consider me to be a media commentator :eek:

irishh_bob

JonathanAnon wrote: »

Paul Williams was saying at the weekend that if the Gardaí DID saturate a working class area with checkpoints to prevent the gun crime, he would call it victimisation of the working class...

Wonder will he mention it was a Traveller fued.. ? That girl should have been NOWHERE near that car if people were looking out for her..

paul williams is a full time cheer leader for an garda siochanna , who cares what that shill thinks

tayto lover

irishh_bob wrote: »

do you consider me to be a media commentator :eek:

Just going on your record on other threads.

Min

JonathanAnon wrote: »

They elected Rich Boy Barrett, was that better?? :eek::eek:

Well it was an insult to Ivana, personally would have liked to see Mary Hanafin take that seat.

Harry Angstrom

JonathanAnon wrote: »

They elected Rich Boy Barrett, was that better?? :eek::eek:

Bacik couldn't even get elected by riding the coat-tails of Eamon Gilmore. She should get the message that she isn't wanted by the electorate. She's yet another great reason why the Seanad should be shut down in the morning.

irishh_bob

tayto lover wrote: »

Just going on your record on other threads.

so report me if you have a problem

tayto lover

irishh_bob wrote: »

paul williams is a full time cheer leader for an garda siochanna , who cares what that shill thinks

Here we go again. Agenda.

irishh_bob

Harry Angstrom wrote: »

Bacik couldn't even get elected by riding the coat-tails of Eamon Gilmore. She should get the message that she isn't wanted by the electorate. She's yet another great reason why the Seanad should be shut down in the morning.

very bright lady , she just needs to realise that thier are not enough people who share her quite radical PC liberal agenda for her to get elected

woodoo

irishh_bob wrote: »

do you consider me to be a media commentator :eek:

Come on now we all know you are Brendan O'Connor

Min

Harry Angstrom wrote: »

Bacik couldn't even get elected by riding the coat-tails of Eamon Gilmore. She should get the message that she isn't wanted by the electorate. She's yet another great reason why the Seanad should be shut down in the morning.

Well, she won't get in next time as I think a lot of people will be fed up with Labour and Gilmore's lies.

irishh_bob

Min wrote: »

Well, she won't get in next time as I think a lot of people will be fed up with Labour and Gilmore's lies.

i hope your not going to start talking about the embassy closure in the vatican

Lapin

I'll never understand why Irish planners always build playgrounds within sight of drug dealers.

Every time someone discusses drug dealers, they mention the playgrounds.

JonathanAnon

She was sixteen years old, and was in a car with three grown men on the way to a fight... The parents were more negligent than the Gardaí, but it doesnt suit his agenda to ask questions of the parents..

super_furry

Over-policing in Tallaght? There's one understaffed Garda station for an area with a larger population than Limerick.

Harry Angstrom

I'd like to know where the parents are. Far too many of them don't give a feck about what their kids are up to.

hotmail.com

irishh_bob wrote: »

very bright lady , she just needs to realise that thier are not enough people who share her quite radical PC liberal agenda for her to get elected

The reason Bacik didn't get voted in the last time was down to bad vote management by the Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore.

take everything

Mooney's cruising for a bruising.

tayto lover

Building housing estates that are too big is a major cause of crime. Traveller fueds are occurring all over the country because these are not just families, they are clans.