Michael McDowell's attack on Denis O'Brien: who's paying McDowell's fee?

Rebelheart

This attack on the Pat Kenny show from McDowell on O'Brien was quite incredible. It's being advertised on the RTÉ website:

Changing Media

I had absolutely no doubt about his agenda and then, in the middle of it, Kenny mentions that Michael McDowell was part of Gavin O'Reilly's legal team. Incredible! That took McDowell by surprise, he conceded and changed the subject very quickly. Kenny, who essentially let him away with far too much in this interview, then asked him did the O'Reilly control over Independent Newspapers constitute an oligarchy. McDowell bluffed and then conceded, changing to the past tense, "I suppose it could have been viewed as an oligarchy".

You suppose Michael McDowell, do you? You really only "suppose" that the family which has had the dominant voice in the Irish media since the mid-1970s could constitute an oligarchy in Irish society? Really?


Kenny then brought up that infamous meeting before the 2007 Election where Ahern and Cowen met O'Reilly in Fitzwilliam Square, struck a deal and then Independent Newspapers started spouting pro-Fianna Fáil stuff before the 2007 election. Incredibly, McDowell claimed he had never heard of that meeting. Really? How many people here have heard of it? Most of us, I gather.

The entire interview provided McDowell with a platform against O'Brien, which is absolutely fine except for the important issue that McDowell was a hired hand of the O'Reilly family who didn't admit that at the outset. Furthermore, and this is the bit that really gets me, where was McDowell in all the decades of O'Reilly dominance? Why wasn't he calling for control on media ownership then? How much was McDowell being paid by Independent Newspapers back in 2005 when he, as Minister for Justice, leaked information to O'Reilly's chief rag, The Sunday Independent, which led to the closure of the Chuck Feeney-funded Centre for Public Inquiry which threatened to investigate powerful organisations in Ireland, including obviously his own paymasters in Independent Newspapers. Clash of interests?

Why is this self-serving coward (never forget how he abandoned his party before all the results were announced in 2007) allowed on air to rant under the guise of being in favour of newspaper owners' not threatening democracy against somebody simply because the person in question threatens the economic/political interest of Michael McDowell's paymasters in Independent Newspapers?

PS: Not for a second do I mean to imply O'Brien is not a danger to democracy in Ireland: he most assuredly is. No doubt about that. However, an apologist for Tony O'Reilly's rags, as McDowell is, is the last person on the planet who's in a position to lecture other oligarchs about the threat their media ownership poses to democracy.

woodoo

Just stop buying anything by INM

ArtSmart

Rebelheart wrote: »

This attack on the Pat Kenny show from McDowell on O'Brien was quite incredible. It's being advertised on the RTÉ website:

Changing Media

I had absolutely no doubt about his agenda and then, in the middle of it, Kenny mentions that Michael McDowell was part of Gavin O'Reilly's legal team. Incredible! That took McDowell by surprise, he conceded and changed the subject very quickly. Kenny, who essentially let him away with far too much in this interview, then asked him did the O'Reilly control over Independent Newspapers constitute an oligarchy. McDowell bluffed and then conceded, changing to the past tense, "I suppose it could have been viewed as an oligarchy".

You suppose Michael McDowell, do you? You really only "suppose" that the family which has had the dominant voice in the Irish media since the mid-1970s could constitute an oligarchy in Irish society? Really?


Kenny then brought up that infamous meeting before the 2007 Election where Ahern and Cowen met O'Reilly in Fitzwilliam Square, struck a deal and then Independent Newspapers started spouting pro-Fianna Fáil stuff before the 2007 election. Incredibly, McDowell claimed he had never heard of that meeting. Really? How many people here have heard of it? Most of us, I gather.

The entire interview provided McDowell with a platform against O'Brien, which is absolutely fine except for the important issue that McDowell was a hired hand of the O'Reilly family who didn't admit that at the outset. Furthermore, and this is the bit that really gets me, where was McDowell in all the decades of O'Reilly dominance? Why wasn't he calling for control on media ownership then? How much was McDowell being paid by Independent Newspapers back in 2005 when he, as Minister for Justice, leaked information to O'Reilly's chief rag, The Sunday Independent, which led to the closure of the Chuck Feeney-funded Centre for Public Inquiry which threatened to investigate powerful organisations in Ireland, including obviously his own paymasters in Independent Newspapers. Clash of interests?

Why is this self-serving coward (never forget how he abandoned his party before all the results were announced in 2007) allowed on air to rant under the guise of being in favour of newspaper owners' not threatening democracy against somebody simply because the person in question threatens the economic/political interest of Michael McDowell's paymasters in Independent Newspapers?

PS: Not for a second do I mean to imply O'Brien is not a danger to democracy in Ireland: he most assuredly is. No doubt about that. However, an apologist for Tony O'Reilly's rags, as McDowell is, is the last person on the planet who's in a position to lecture other oligarchs about the threat their media ownership poses to democracy.

Great post, though your last sentence should be at the beginning to reassure democracy lovers like myself.

Nodin

Seen this related story earlier.....

RTE has denied claims that a speech made by former Tanaiste and Minister for Justice Michael McDowell in Dublin last Thursday night was kept off the nine o'clock news over fears that its content may have been "legally problematical".
In the course of his address at the launch of TCD academic Elaine Byrne's book, Political Corruption in Ireland 1922 -- 2010 A Crooked Harp, Mr McDowell made particular reference to 'oligarchs' when commenting on the matter of media ownership and liberty.
While it had been expected that the former Tanaiste's speech would be covered on RTE 1's nine o'clock news programme, given the presence of the broadcaster's cameras and political correspondents David Davin Power and David McCullough at the event, the item did not feature.
Speaking to the Sunday Independent, a source claimed that a view had been taken that the item may have been "legally problematical".

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/rte-denies-dropping-mcdowell-speech-3095182.html

Hard to know how to take it, really. It is true, however, that upstanding Citizen Denis O'Brien is very quick to resort to legal action (and threats thereof). This is bound to make anyone a bit edgy, given the costs involved.

Fenian Army

Rebelheart wrote: »

This attack on the Pat Kenny show from McDowell on O'Brien was quite incredible. It's being advertised on the RTÉ website:

Changing Media

I had absolutely no doubt about his agenda and then, in the middle of it, Kenny mentions that Michael McDowell was part of Gavin O'Reilly's legal team. Incredible! That took McDowell by surprise, he conceded and changed the subject very quickly. Kenny, who essentially let him away with far too much in this interview, then asked him did the O'Reilly control over Independent Newspapers constitute an oligarchy. McDowell bluffed and then conceded, changing to the past tense, "I suppose it could have been viewed as an oligarchy".

You suppose Michael McDowell, do you? You really only "suppose" that the family which has had the dominant voice in the Irish media since the mid-1970s could constitute an oligarchy in Irish society? Really?


Kenny then brought up that infamous meeting before the 2007 Election where Ahern and Cowen met O'Reilly in Fitzwilliam Square, struck a deal and then Independent Newspapers started spouting pro-Fianna Fáil stuff before the 2007 election. Incredibly, McDowell claimed he had never heard of that meeting. Really? How many people here have heard of it? Most of us, I gather.

The entire interview provided McDowell with a platform against O'Brien, which is absolutely fine except for the important issue that McDowell was a hired hand of the O'Reilly family who didn't admit that at the outset. Furthermore, and this is the bit that really gets me, where was McDowell in all the decades of O'Reilly dominance? Why wasn't he calling for control on media ownership then? How much was McDowell being paid by Independent Newspapers back in 2005 when he, as Minister for Justice, leaked information to O'Reilly's chief rag, The Sunday Independent, which led to the closure of the Chuck Feeney-funded Centre for Public Inquiry which threatened to investigate powerful organisations in Ireland, including obviously his own paymasters in Independent Newspapers. Clash of interests?

Why is this self-serving coward (never forget how he abandoned his party before all the results were announced in 2007) allowed on air to rant under the guise of being in favour of newspaper owners' not threatening democracy against somebody simply because the person in question threatens the economic/political interest of Michael McDowell's paymasters in Independent Newspapers?

PS: Not for a second do I mean to imply O'Brien is not a danger to democracy in Ireland: he most assuredly is. No doubt about that. However, an apologist for Tony O'Reilly's rags, as McDowell is, is the last person on the planet who's in a position to lecture other oligarchs about the threat their media ownership poses to democracy.

Just in case people haven't...


Article on the U-Turn here by Vincent Browne: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2012/0425/1224315145169.html

bluesteel

Great post OP.

-
Michael McDowell SC represent one of the losers in the original bidding process in the High Court when he first lost his seat. I think it was Western Wireless or Orange.

http://www.independent.ie/business/orange-in-court-over-meteor-licence-414436.html

ORANGE Communications Ltd asked the High Court yesterday to carry out a ``revaluation'' of a decision of the Director of Telecommunications Regulation not to grant it a mobile phone operating licence. ORANGE Communications Ltd asked the High Court yesterday to carry out a ``revaluation'' of a decision of the Director of Telecommunications Regulation not to grant it a mobile phone operating licence.
Mr Michael McDowell SC for Orange, said that when his clients asked for a reason the only one they got was that Meteor Mobile Communications had beaten them.

It was the first day of legal proceedings brought by UK mobile phone operator, Orange, against the Director of the Office of Telecommunications Regulators (ODTR) Ms Etain Doyle, and Meteor.

Meteor is 60pc owned by American mobile phone operator, Western Wireless, 30pc by the Irish firm, RF Communications, and 10pc by the Seattle-based consultancy, the Walter Group.

I heard him on the radio and he never mentioned this but did imply that Digifone got the licence by corrupt means. Pat Kenny asked him about the Danish expert who basically said Digifone won fair and square. Personally I feel Digifone should have got it as they were well prepared, and had even got mast sites line up but obviously O'Brien passing money to Lowry stinks to high heaven. (some of the other bidders shouldn't have been involved, ESB and Motorola - a hardware maker?)

Michael McDowell was Bertie Ahern's enabler for years and the damage done as a result is incredible, yet he's the least contrite person in the country. His treatment of Frank Connolly was like something from a Banana Republic