Dee Forbes banging the RTE TV licence drum again 60m uncollected fee *poll not working - pl ignore*

Bob Marley Park

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121862259#Comment_121862259

I think getting found out is a bigger problem for RTE.

political analyst

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121862259#Comment_121862259

Traditionally, a soap opera is regarded as being part of public-service broadcasting, e.g. The Archers, which is still running on BBC Radio 4.

fuzzy dunlop

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121861360#Comment_121861360

The last sentence of the quote is the most relevant i.e the "mythical qualities' and that is what this is....a myth. Correlation is not causation! You are assuming that because change occurred in Ireland at a certain time and RTE started broadcasting at this time then the two things are inextricable. Changed started to occur well before this. The welfare state for example, while perhaps not as extensive as the post war British model was definitely something that was occurring. Urbanisation was also rapidly accelerating in Ireland. Industrialization also rapidly increased. Rural conservatism is not unique to Ireland. It is a phenomenon that exists across the world for the simple reason that rural societies need to be more self reliant and family oriented. Ireland was still predominantly rural afaik up until the 70's. So even if we had been able to pillarize the way the Dutch do for example the problem was that we basically had one ethno-religious pillar.

The revolutionary politics that developed in Ireland in the 18th and 19th centuries managed to do so without RTE. The people who fought in the Spanish Civil War on the Republican side and who confronted the religious hierarchy in Waterford managed to do so without the platform of the Late Late show. Yet despite two decades of the LLS and RTE we had the unedifying spectacle of Eamon Casey and Michael Cleary saying mass next to Pope JP2 in the Phoenix Park in 1979. The Kerry Babies in 1984 and Annie Murphy being insulted on the very same LLS in the 90's. The same LLS and RTE which provided a platform for trendy priests (some paedophiles) well into the 90's. Did RTE faciliate change? Possibly! But it is also possible that it held back change due to its monopoly status particularly in radio.

fuzzy dunlop

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121862059#Comment_121862059

The Sunday Tribune broke the Ann Lovett story. And it wasn't just church and state that was blocking social change. The establishment in general particularly the professions had a role to play. It is seldom mentioned that the first off of the blocks in opposition to the mother and child scheme in the 50s was the Irish Medical Association and many General Practitioners motivated by potential loss of income. Something we would see repeated in the noughties with regard to medical card payments.

Caquas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121860455#Comment_121860455

Wrong. Ireland was a complete outlier in European terms until this century. The 8th amendment had no parallel in Europe and the very cautious divorce referendum was only passed by a hair’s breadth in 1996, having been defeated heavily in 1986.

RTÉ played a major role in liberalisation. Believe it or not, the Late Late Show was a powerful force for change in those years.

The problem for RTÉ is that it has no idea what role it should play in modern Ireland and if they don’t fix the scandals, the answer may be - None.

Caquas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121864090#Comment_121864090

It is impossible to prove direct causation for a social revolution but the opponents of change, chiefly the Catholic Church and its political supporters, had no doubt that RTÉ was a prime cause of liberalisation.

As Oliver J. Flanagan, a leading spokesperson for Catholic values, put it so memorably on the Late Late “There was no sex in Ireland before TV” !

Of course RTÉ could have done more to expose abuses but it had to operate within a very different environment.

Cluedo Monopoly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121856503#Comment_121856503

The FG fanatics on here all told us we'd have to pay the charge for the Irish Water superquango corruption and waste. We didn't.

yagan

If what others have asserted is true that the gambling industry influenced the cancelling the appearance on the LLS of a gambling addiction awareness advocate then in the present age RTE are in hoc with commercial interests in a way that they once were with the RCC.

I've no problem paying for a public service provider, but one that isn't commercial.

fuzzy dunlop

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121864172#Comment_121864172

You are proving my point and you need to read a history book not some Oirish Toimes hagiography! If RTE played a major role in liberalization how come these things took so long to shake off? In what sense was Ireland a 'complete outlier' ? Spain was run by a fascist dictator until 1975 and a fascist coup in 1981, while Portugal de-facto had a similar situation.Greece was another one where a fascist junta ran the place for most of its post war history and Cyprus almost went the same way. Most of Eastern Europe was under the yoke of the Soviet Union until 1990 and while they may be out from that particular form of oppression are not liberal democracies in any meaningful sense. Britain while decriminalizing homosexuality in the 80's had until then extremely oppressive legislation. And while it may have been repealed it didn't stop the fourth estate hounding people like Kenny Everett and Elton John and God knows who else for their sexuality. BTW, religious hymns were still sung in many state British schools well in to the 80's while corporal punishment in schools was banned in 1987 ,five years after Ireland (1982). However also like Ireland it persisted for a long time afterward 'unofficially'. Abortion law as restrictive as Ireland's persisted in countries like Poland and Malta and several micro states virtually to this day. Sweden had a forced sterilization program well in to the 70s, along with Denmark. The list of these things is endless. Several EU countries such as Denmark still have an established church as does England and Scotland. While many others such as Sweden recognize the importance of a particular church in their constitution while Ireland's has been 100% secular since 1972. But you would never know it thanks to the constructed narratives that prevail. The fact is Ireland has and had its own national nuances and idiosyncrasies. But it is a conceit to think of it as terminally unique.

As I said liberalization occurs with urbanization and industrialization which accelerated after 1960. Other institutions many of them international like the EU (1973), WHO and UN (1955) provided an additional impetus.The Late Late Show and RTE? Give me a break!

fuzzy dunlop

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121864193#Comment_121864193

I find this sudden "appeal to the authority" of Oliver Flanagan absolutely hilarious.This is the guy who wanted to expel Jewish people from Ireland.

fuzzy dunlop

Incidentally if the Wikipedia entry is accurate then its sheds light on the influence of RTE with regard to liberalization of Irish society.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_in_the_Republic_of_Ireland

60% of the population of Ireland could receive BBC and ITV by the end of the 50s. RTE was established to counter the influence of British Television. I would argue that RTE was founded to attenuate the liberalization effects of BBC more than anything else. It definitely calls into question the idea that Ireland would have been more or less liberal if RTE had not existed.

Baba Yaga

since all this started coming out has anyone else noticed that all the players in this have faces on them like a bulldog after licking pish off a nettle?? is it because theyve been found out? way past time to close it down and bring in the fraud squad...

yagan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121864906#Comment_121864906

Golden circle unto themselves.

Baba Yaga

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121865063#Comment_121865063

feckin golden shower more like!

JP Liz V1

A solicitor for former RTÉ director general Dee Forbes has said that she is not "fit or able" to engage with the Oireachtas Committee on Media.

In a short letter to the committee, her solicitor said that Ms Forbes is under "active medical care" and that "further medical information" to confirm that she is "unfit to participate in any processes at this time can be provided with the requirement that it is kept confidential".

On Friday 23 February, the committee wrote to Ms Forbes, requesting that she engage with members either in person, through written statement or via video link.

On foot of receiving the committee's letter, the solicitor "sought instructions" from their client.

Ms Forbes' solicitor stated in the letter to the committee that they were instructed that she is "unfit to be involved in any process even with the offer of video links/breaks/written evidence etc.".

(Maybe stop her pension)

Gusser09

**** having a laugh at all of us.

fplfan12345

One of the things I’ve observed and learned in life is that the guilty run and hide.

She has her reasons for avoiding questions but it looks damning for her.

Not even the most gullible walking amongst us believe, for one second, that there is anything wrong with her other than fear of implicating herself.

She is fooling no one.

downtheroad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121865193#Comment_121865193

Aka...caught!

The wonderfish

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121865193#Comment_121865193

so she is not even able to sit in her nice comfy chair in her own home and answer some questions on decisions SHE made!……is this woman on her death bed or what??…utter nonsense and if this is allowed to happen, it’s a clear two fingers to every household in the country who paid their TV licence during her tenure. Shameful.

Bob Marley Park

So she can give direction to her legal team but can't write a statement.

I hope the new wave of RTE leaders can be compelled to appear ongoing.

Trampas

Pure and simple these sick notes are from her gp who knows they’ll never be contested due to lack of any power the pac have to challenge him. I wonder how quick the gp be writing letters if this was a court of law. Might lose the ink in the pen

Caquas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121864506#Comment_121864506

Spare me the condescension and focus on your own education.

I can't imagine how you think I was proving your point by showing that the Catholic Church and its supporters held RTÉ responsible for the sexual revolution. You denied RTÉ played any role in social change and pointed to the 1996 divorce referendum and the repeal of the 8th. amendment (in 2018) to claim

Social change in Ireland more or less corresponded with social change everywhere else. 

The reality was that Ireland was an outlier in Europe during that time period but you have now have shifted the goalposts to talk about the 1960s and 70s when Spain, Greece and Portugal had dictatorships. Even in the 1970s we were outliners in terms of our partners in Europe (Greece, Spain, Portugal only joined the EEC in the 1980s) and by the 1990s we certainly were outliers because the Mediterranean countries had undergone sweeping social changes.

Of course, social change is dependent on the economic and social structures of society and I said that RTE had to operate within the limits of the time. But it is exaggerated nonsense to claim that the national broadcaster played no part in the dramatic transformation of Irish society in the past few decades.

As I said, the problem now is that RTÉ has lost its role in leading the national debate on modernisation and, instead, it has become the subject of a national debate about personal greed and the lack of real accountability. If RTÉ gets stuck with that narrative, the Government will have to wipe the slate clean and find a new way of providing public service broadcasting. Catherine Martin has demonstrated that she and her Department are not fit to manage that transition.

AndyBoBandy

Absolutely fcuking outrageous.

She's an utter disgrace.

An absolute fcuking disgrace.

tobefrank321

Is there any chance they can get the doctor who is issuing the sick notes before the oireachtas committe to answer questions?

What exactly is the nature of her illness? The woman walked away with a large pay-off, so is unlikely to be broke and in a very good position financially.

Seems her illness is of the "two fingers to you" nature. Its quite common these days.

NSAman

It never fails to amaze me, that people in certain sections of society, can shout like lunatics looking for other people (ordinary tax payers) to pay more. Yet, when accountability comes knocking they clam up and do anything to get out of being held accountable for their actions.

If I ****-up I am held accountable to a board, I do not have personal protection for decisions I make that cost the company/organisation money. I cannot hide behind a doctors note. If I do something illegal (or outside my powers) I can be held criminally liable.

Yet, here we have Ms. Forbes hiding. I’m sorry she bumped her toe off a step. Doctors note be damned, change the laws and hold those in public office personally liable for their actions. That should sort out a LOT of this BS.

Penn

So she can't appear in front of the Committee, either live or over webcam, on medical grounds? Okay.

Does her condition (whatever it may be) stop her from responding to questions asked in a written statement? Does her condition stop her from providing relevant information for the Committee to review? Does her condition stop her from at the very least confirming or denying relevant points as factual or incorrect?

Because unless her condition is "comatose", her condition is "at f*cking blame for the majority of what happened and refusing to be held accountable".

downtheroad

A brass neck, otherwise known as a neck like a jockey's b0ll0cks, is an extremely serious medical condition lads. Ms. Forbes will be out of action for an extremely long period while she makes a recovery.

dmakc

It's funny how this whole thing kicked off at the height of RTE's "TRUTH MATTERS" advert campaign. Hilarious virtue

Rubberchikken

Cowardice stops her from answering questions in any format.

A woman without a back bone. Without a moral compass.

Completely lacking in responsibility.

Hang your head in shame DF. We know you're too afraid to explain your deceitful ways. We know you're too cowardly to come out and face the PAC.

We know.