Media silence over Niall Collins story

Dav010

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120957971#Comment_120957971

Would you spend a lot of your own money suing someone who hasn’t a pot to piss in?

hometruths

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120957996#Comment_120957996

If I was a politician and the Ditch made inaccurate or defamatory statements about me, I'd certainly take some steps to correct the record. Obviously assuming they were untrue and I could demonstrate that.

If the statements were true, I'd do exactly what Collins is currently doing. Nothing. Waiting for it to blow over safe in the knowledge it surely will, because you know, Paddy Cosgrave.

I'll ask you the same question that everybody else has avoided.

If you believe Collins has grounds to sue the Ditch, what exactly are those grounds?

Are you able to shed any light on this?

Dav010

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120958040#Comment_120958040

I asked you, would you spend a lot of your own money suing a person who has no money? Simple question.

hometruths

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120958053#Comment_120958053

Simple answer - yes, if I was in the right and provably so I'd be prepared to commence legal action against a person or organisation who had no money, accepting the risk that it may end up costing me a lot of money.

Simple question for you - do you believe Collins has grounds to sue the Ditch?

ZookeeperDub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120957971#Comment_120957971

You brought up about suing. It seems desperate to bring that thread in that direction.

As I said days ago any of TD's are better off ignoring these "roving reporters"

The Ditch has 57k followers on twitter and for all the bluster from its fans it irrelevant to 99% of the population.

It's most famous for having a journalist who doesn't pay his rent

72sheep

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120958194#Comment_120958194

You're right about the 99% but in insider circles The Ditch is known for: 

>> dismantling ABP, leading to a criminal conviction for its Deputy Chair. The fall out has been enormous and is only growing ;-)

>> forcing Robert Troy's resignation despite the Govmt desperate attempts to save him 

>> forcing the Govmt to defend Niall Collins, an already unbelievably dodgy minister, when multiple new strong allegations of dodginesses arose

>> shining a bright light on our MSM newshound editors. Those lads are now less certain they'll get to their pensions just by writing articles about parades, climate change, conspiracy theories, online bullying, the private lives of other country's PM's and how tough a job our politicians have, LOL! 

That reminds me, I have to confirm what the "early retired" ABP Chairman, Dave "TCD Classics" Walshe, and his wife are up to now :-)

ZookeeperDub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120958706#Comment_120958706

"insider circles"

The lady doth protest too much, methinks

A good list, but ask the person on the street and the majority of people that actually know it, will tell you about the journalist running up 50k debt or the Russian guy involved in setting it up.

For all the money Cosgrove is clearly ploughing into it, he really should have done better background checks. Their is a reason why the investigative journalist has no career to speak of according to his own profile.

ZookeeperDub

Plus even the more annoying thing for Cosgrove and the motley crew. Come next election SF will have to join FF in all probability to form a government and he will be out defending FF and the lovely Niall Collins then

Oh what a tangled web we weave.

Cosgrave said he hasn’t been tweeting as much recently as he’s about to blow open a huge scandal in the Irish tech/startup community.

The Ditch are off doing basic bitch FOI requests and getting things like mileage and ministerial diaries mixed up.

A million euro over 5 years was his promise wasn’t it? You’d imagine he will get bored soon. Meanwhile Chay Bowes, the lad who got multiple individual appointments with the Russian ambassador, and founded The Ditch, is over in Moscow being a talking head for the Putin regime.

There’s a whiff of something about The Ditch. Can’t quite put my finger on it.

72sheep

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120959036#Comment_120959036

The Ditch has successfully highlighted our MSM's refusal to hold FFG to account. Many many people had no idea that "our decent" TD's were supposed to be allowed to get away with so much! 

SF+FF ok. At least it would put an end to the ugly spectacle of observing FG destroy itself from within.

VinLieger

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120959102#Comment_120959102

Cosgrave likes to hide it but I fully believe he is of the same authoritarian persuasion as his best buddy Chay, sure he had to be ambarrassed into revoking Grayzones invite to last years web summit or Zelenskys wife wouldn't attend, they are a notorious russian propaganda think tank for those unaware, and then even after he did revoke their conference invite he last minute hosted them at a big dinner with other guests during the summit.

ZookeeperDub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120959438#Comment_120959438

The Ditch would have some credibility if they actually went after all political parties. They don't and hence no credibility. Then when you see someone complaining about TD maybe having issues with expenses but they have run of debts of 50k in rent. No credibility.

Then add on top the main funder has been found out lying and wouldn't admit for months. Well the thing from top to bottom is a joke shop. A fanzine at best for a few people online

blanch152

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120957865#Comment_120957865

Unfortunately, it is well known that the Ditch have extremely shallow pockets.

hometruths

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120959575#Comment_120959575

That's probably true. But that doesn't really answer the question on whether or not Collins has any grounds to sue. He does not.

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120958040#Comment_120958040

This is a very odd take, essentially suggesting that if he doesn't sue it must be true. He has absolutely nothing whatsoever to gain by suing.

He'd just be giving The Ditch huge publicity.

Outside the Ditch's target audience, this story doesn't exist. If he sues, it'll exist everywhere. The people who read the Ditch don't care if it's true or not, it's a negative story about a FF politician, they're happy enough. Collins has nothing to gain correcting the record for these people, the Ditch's target audience wouldn't care if he personally mailed them detailed records of every single mile he drove and claimed for, they're never going to be convinced.

hometruths

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120959675#Comment_120959675

This is a very odd take, essentially suggesting that if he doesn't sue it must be true. He has absolutely nothing whatsoever to gain by suing.

It is no odder than the multiple posters suggesting here that the only reason he doesn't sue them is they have no money.

In any event, it's not really what I am suggesting.

I'm simply asking those who are claiming there is no point in him suing because Ditch et al have no money, or indeed that it would just increase the publicity, on what grounds would he sue.

To me it looks like he has no grounds to sue. What the Ditch reported has been confirmed as factually correct by both himself and the minutes of the meetings. If he has no grounds to sue, the rest of the discussion on why he might or might not is pretty moot.

What record do you think needs to be corrected?

ZookeeperDub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120959786#Comment_120959786

Cosgrove has made no secret he hides his money overseas so he doesn't pay tax. The Ditch has been setup so if Cosgrove gets his way it can be shut down tomorrow. Also if he get sued he can just shut it down and open another website tomorrow morning.

It's just noise from a fanzine that is irrelevant to majority of people in Ireland bar a few people on twitter who probably won't even get out fo the house to vote come election. So why would any TD bother making any comments to them or even suing them so its brought into the media?

Even when Cosgrove dragged everyone up on stage about the leo story in the middle of his IT event it didn't make any news cycles.

MegamanBoo

I think it's really telling the lengths the FFG brigade are going to in defending their own here.

I haven't followed every Ditch story but those that I have seen have all been based on reporting the type of obscure public records other sources haven't eg planning applications, council minutes, mileage returns etc.

These are public record, not rumour or innuendo.

In terms of being factually accurate it doesn't matter who brings these records to our attention.

But I guess some of you guys will do what it takes to defend the FFG way? Have to find some way to stand behind these fake planning applications, dodgy property sales and crooked expenses, right?

But, but, but.... The Ditch

ZookeeperDub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120959844#Comment_120959844

I don't support FFG at all but I have zero time for Cosgrove and for the Ditch. At the moment they have less than 60k followers on twitter, are you saying that everyone else are FFG supporters?

The opinion polls would say differ by the way

hometruths

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120959840#Comment_120959840

So why would any TD bother making any comments to them or even suing them so its brought into the media?

Totally agree, as I said above, I'd do exactly the same thing.

The story was totally true. Bringing more attention to it would be madness from Collins' point of view.

MegamanBoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120959865#Comment_120959865

I don't follow the Ditch on twitter but I've come across plenty of their stories. I'm not sure that figure is reflective of awareness of these stories.

If you're here to bash Cosgrave, fine, but it's not as relevant as you think and in doing so it looks like you're defending some other awful behaviour.

Tell me, should a minister have to account for suspiciously high mileage? Or answer questions about their history of being involved in the sale of state assists to their wife?

Regardless of who reports these matters, it's not good enough that Collins and his ilk can hide from accountability as they do.

ZookeeperDub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120959869#Comment_120959869

"The story was totally true" I hate to repost

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks"

Again, even if the story is totally fake it wouldn't be worth Collins time trying to shut it down.

hometruths

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120959893#Comment_120959893

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks"

I guess you're missing the irony in your fondness for posting this retort.

ZookeeperDub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120959891#Comment_120959891

Im here to give an opinion. For someone that doesn't follow twitter or haven't followed them you seem very upset that I have questioned the website. I have posted the information which is freely available.

That's before we start with the rest of the motley crew.

The expenses system in government, as I posted, is questionable and should be reviewed. In terms of the quote "his ilk"....that's every TD in government.

So far you have tried to brush anyone critical of the website as FFG supporters and now trying to question my contribution because I rightly pointed out the obvious issues with Cosgrove. Plus I nver defended Collins behaviour, I gave a reason why the Ditch is totally irrelevant and why a TD wouldnt sue.

ZookeeperDub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120959899#Comment_120959899

You spent two days now telling everyone Collins should sue. So no I don't :-)

MegamanBoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120959912#Comment_120959912

I couldn't care less about Cosgrave or his website.

I just don't think the figure of x amount of followers or twitter necessarily relates to how aware people are of the stories.

I mean the Collins property sale stuff made the national news...

He didn't answer for it then, so what does that have to do with Cosgrave?

Heather was always a wily operator. Called out the bullshït of The Ditch months ago.

MegamanBoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120959912#Comment_120959912

Not every TD has been involved with the sale of state assets to their wife? Or has a trial of dodgy planning applications? Does every TD have such high mileage claims?

That's quite clearly what I meant by 'his ilk'

Those that do should have to answer for it regardless of what party they're from, not hide behind bashing some nobody like Cosgrave.

ZookeeperDub

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120959977#Comment_120959977

Did Collins say anything about Cosgrove?

MegamanBoo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120960004#Comment_120960004

Not that I'm aware of but plenty here seem to be using the defense.

Or if I'm to take you at your word, just have some sort of innocent unhealthy obsession with the man?