Gallagher to sue RTÉ

senorwipesalot · 06-01-2013 02:21PM #1

This should be interesting.
Is Pats frontline about to get a licking?

The former Presidential candidate Sean Gallagher is to take legal action against RTÉ over the 'Frontline' debate.

The businessman will seek a declaration from the High Court that the debate in October of 2011 was "unfair" and "seriously damaged his electoral prospects".

In a statement this morning, his solicitor Paul Tweed accuses the state broadcaster of breaching a duty of care, negligence and breaching statutory duty.

He said the report of the internal review into the 'Frontline' programme strengthened his client's resolve and that Mr Gallagher has been left with no alternative but to pursue the matter in court.

Yesterday, RTÉ confirmed that a plenary summons had been received on Friday and said that there would be "no further comment for now".

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/gallagher-to-sue-rte-580168.html

Shane-KornSpace · 06-01-2013 02:22PM

Meh.....

gifted · 06-01-2013 02:24PM

I have a feeling that this is gonna cost us taxpayers afew bob :mad:

im invisible · 06-01-2013 02:25PM

€1.75 mill

Richard Hillman · 06-01-2013 02:28PM

He's dead right too. What went on that night should have been enough to have RTE disbanded.

My name is URL · 06-01-2013 02:28PM

gifted wrote: »

I have a feeling that this is gonna cost us taxpayers afew bob :mad:

I'm sure RTE are covered for such eventualities

The King of Moo · 06-01-2013 02:30PM

senorwipesalot wrote: »

Is Pats frontline about to get a licking?

He he!!

rednik · 06-01-2013 02:31PM

Would he be happy if RTE was closed, I know I would.

Kess73 · 06-01-2013 02:32PM

Maybe if he had been able to disprove the claim against him then his campaign would not have been so damaged.

The dirty trick on Frontline handed him a shovel alright, but he was the one that dug the hole with his responses that night and in the days that followed.

HondaSami · 06-01-2013 02:35PM

Is he just a sore loser?
I'm sure there are a few people who changed their mind about voting for him after his performance on the show and a lot more will be happy now they didn't either with this performance.

Hippies! · 06-01-2013 02:52PM

What a baby

Mr. CooL ICE · 06-01-2013 02:59PM

Fcuk him.

That election involved an elderly gentleman who was a political veteran with firm grasp of Irish culture and history, and six chancers. The six chancers lost, and rightly so.

Death and Taxes · 06-01-2013 03:04PM

What RTE did was disgraceful, it matters not thet it was Gallagher, if they get away it they will do it again, hope he wins.

homerjay2005 · 06-01-2013 03:05PM

LordChessington wrote: »

Fcuk him.

That election involved an elderly gentleman who was a political veteran with firm grasp of Irish culture and history, and six chancers. The six chancers lost, and rightly so.

Gallagher was running away with the election until that moment. the lies that Sinn Fein concocted and that RTE facilitated, cost him dearly.

i guess the courts will decide either way, what really happened.

Jimoslimos · 06-01-2013 03:15PM

RTÉ should be reprimanded for what they did, unacceptable carry-on for a national broadcaster.

However that fraud Gallagher shouldn't see a penny. Thankfully the slimy, smooth-talking so-called entrepreneur was exposed for what he really was.

wyndham · 06-01-2013 03:16PM

gifted wrote: »

I have a feeling that this is gonna cost us taxpayers afew bob :mad:

Only those stupid enough to pay for a tv licence.

upandcumming · 06-01-2013 03:21PM

We would be all worse off without RTÉ.

They should pay though.

Jimoslimos · 06-01-2013 03:27PM

gifted wrote: »

I have a feeling that this is gonna cost us taxpayers afew bob :mad:

Gallagher already has cost the taxpayers a few bob, with his failed IDA funded businesses and various state-appointed board positions he holds.

The Presidency for him was about raising his own profile, and making a quick buck on the back of it.

Also, like that other Seán, he still has a rather large band of deluded followers prepared to defend him.

Richard Hillman · 06-01-2013 03:42PM

It seems that some people will only start to care about what happened until its their guy that gets screwed over. People need to see the bigger picture in this. RTE or TV3 can do this again in the next General Election if they want. We need extremely strict guidelines and legal legislation to cover future debates.

If we have a General Election in a couple of years, I do not feel comfortable having the current system in place. Tv companies can not be allowed to influence votes, its wrong and extremely dangerous.

We need to have a fully independent chair of the debate, not the likes of Pat Kenny or Vincent Browne.

We need to do away with Pantomime audiences. The debate must be in a closed studio with only essential personal preset.

The chair of the debate must have his/hers voting history disclosed or the chair should be drafted from abroad to ensure full independence. Or the debate can be conducted by members of the the supreme court.

The questions must be disclosed before the debate.

When the debate participants alloted time is up, the microphone must be cut.

The debate must be pre-recorded with the supreme court overseeing what is included.

Jacob T · 06-01-2013 03:47PM

Ah yes Sean "Brown Envelope" Gallagher strikes again

gifted · 06-01-2013 03:49PM

Richard Hillman wrote: »

It seems that some people will only start to care about what happened until its their guy that gets screwed over. People need to see the bigger picture in this. RTE or TV3 can do this again in the next General Election if they want. We need extremely strict guidelines and legal legislation to cover future debates.

If we have a General Election in a couple of years, I do not feel comfortable having the current system in place. Tv companies can not be allowed to influence votes, its wrong and extremely dangerous.

We need to have a fully independent chair of the debate, not the likes of Pat Kenny or Vincent Browne.

We need to do away with Pantomime audiences. The debate must be in a closed studio with only essential personal preset.

The chair of the debate must have his/hers voting history disclosed or the chair should be drafted from abroad to ensure full independence. Or the debate can be conducted by members of the the supreme court.

The questions must be disclosed before the debate.

When the debate participants alloted time is up, the microphone must be cut.

The debate must be pre-recorded with the supreme court overseeing what is included.

so their spin doctors can get to work on them huh? :rolleyes:

Biggins · 06-01-2013 03:50PM

Jimoslimos wrote: »

RTÉ should be reprimanded for what they did, unacceptable carry-on for a national broadcaster.

However that fraud Gallagher shouldn't see a penny. Thankfully the slimy, smooth-talking so-called entrepreneur was exposed for what he really was.

I agree.
Passing himself off an a supposedly independent - when in fact he was wrapped up in the cloak of Fianna Fail all along.

If he wants to go on about honesty - how about he starting with it first and show an example?

Happyman42 · 06-01-2013 03:51PM

Richard Hillman wrote: »

It seems that some people will only start to care about what happened until its their guy that gets screwed over. People need to see the bigger picture in this. RTE or TV3 can do this again in the next General Election if they want. We need extremely strict guidelines and legal legislation to cover future debates.

I'm all for guidelines, however what we do not need is somebody capitalising at our expense on what was a mistake ( I believe it was a genuine mistake in this instance) by the broadcaster. Gallagher has made his point, blame has been apportioned and now we need to make sure it never happens again. The rush to personally gain here is obscene imo.

Richard Hillman · 06-01-2013 04:01PM

Happyman42 wrote: »

I'm all for guidelines, however what we do not need is somebody capitalising at our expense on what was a mistake ( I believe it was a genuine mistake in this instance) by the broadcaster. Gallagher has made his point, blame has been apportioned and now we need to make sure it never happens again. The rush to personally gain here is obscene imo.

Sadly I think i disagree with this point. I think RTE, Sinn Fein and Kenny knew before the debate that they were going to spring this on Gallagher. Kenny probably thought it was going to be his career defining moment.

Richard Hillman · 06-01-2013 04:03PM

gifted wrote: »

so their spin doctors can get to work on them huh? :rolleyes:

Im not too bothered, i just dont want to see what could happen. Even if they had only 10 minutes with the questions before the debate would be suitable for me.

Paully D · 06-01-2013 04:04PM

That just reminded me of how fantastically funny that was. The look on his face as he tried to worm his way out of it was brilliant television.

Biggins · 06-01-2013 04:05PM

WileyCoyote wrote: »

Whatever else he did this is a new one on me!

Something to do with a chap called Morgan.
Referred to here in passing:
* http://www.broadsheet.ie/2011/10/25/gallagher-and-lies/
* http://www.independent.ie/opinion/columnists/eoghan-harris/eoghan-harris-rte-news-downplays-sf-debacle-are-we-surprised-2921073.html

I think its in this thread from politics.ie also: http://www.politics.ie/forum/media/197636-bagman-sean-gallagher-starts-writing-sindo.html

(open to be wrong - I know nothing about the matter myself.)

Death and Taxes · 06-01-2013 04:08PM

Biggins wrote: »

Something to do with a chap called Morgan.
Referred to here in passing:
* http://www.broadsheet.ie/2011/10/25/gallagher-and-lies/
* http://www.independent.ie/opinion/columnists/eoghan-harris/eoghan-harris-rte-news-downplays-sf-debacle-are-we-surprised-2921073.html

I think its in this thread from politics.ie also: http://www.politics.ie/forum/media/197636-bagman-sean-gallagher-starts-writing-sindo.html

(open to be wrong)

Hi Biggins,
Don't see any mention of fuel laundering there, as Morgans are the biggest fuel card company in Ireland I would reckon they would be far from happy to be associated with fuel laundering, which wreck cars!
That said I wasn't voting for Gallagher anyway!

Happyman42 · 06-01-2013 04:09PM

Richard Hillman wrote: »

Sadly I think i disagree with this point. I think RTE, Sinn Fein and Kenny knew before the debate that they were going to spring this on Gallagher. Kenny probably thought it was going to be his career defining moment.

RTE and Kenny in cahoots with Sinn Fein? that's quite a stretch. The only mistake here was not verifying the tweet, if Kenny believed it to be true and accurate (and I think he did) he was right to use it. I, for one, want to see an interrogative and investigative media in this country, we wouldn't be in the mess we are in if the media remembered that that is their primary function.

Biggins · 06-01-2013 04:11PM

WileyCoyote wrote: »

...That said I wasn't voting for Gallagher anyway!

Nor was I.
I just remember something vague about Gallagher, fuel and Morgan at the time.
I paid it no attention as like yourself, Gallagher was not getting my vote anyway and I moved on to other issues already.

recyclebin · 06-01-2013 04:14PM

Whats he going to sue for? Didn't he admit that he collected the cheque from this Morgan chap?

The only issue here is that RTE read out a tweet from an unverified source. This is itself is very serious but the tweet did contain actual information that Sean Gallagher verified himself.

Gallagher to sue RTÉ

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