These things are not supposed to happen in modern politics. If a Minister goes to visit a project it is usually squeaky clean with no bad news hidden about it. It seems someone in British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg’s office didn’t do their homework. Oops
Malcolm Tucker (The Press Guru in the The Thick of It) would be cursing very loudly yesterday.
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Thanks to the little birdies who let me know that the Directors of Dublin Pride have commenced a review of the Pride Festival 2010. The festival appeared to have the best profile ever with plenty of mainstream media coverage and a great turn out at many events including 22,000 marching during the Pride Parade.
I’ve covered difficulties before that myself and others have had with the location of the Post Pride celebrations and given the huge numbers that have attended this year it seems that the board of Dublin Pride are trying again to see if the event can be moved.
Locations that have been discussed include the Iveagh Gardens, Dublin Castle, Merrion Square West, O2 at the Point Village, the Dublin Convention Centre at Spencer Dock, Phoenix Park, IMMA, Smithfield and St. Stephen’s Green. Other suggestions are also being sought.
Meanwhile Dublin Pride have themselves been in touch to promote their online survey regarding the opinions of the LGBT community on this years Pride as they plan next years events.
So if like me you would like to see the Pride march end up somewhere more comfortable, relaxing and momentous you might head over here and give your opinions!
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I’ve taken a little blogging break here for the last ten days or so, but it’s not been completely quiet. You may have noted the post exploring the campaign for marriage and the change in how marriage is interpreted which I wrote earlier this week on The (Fabulous) AntiRoom.
I think some of the point of my post got a bit lost in some of the 77 (!) comments which followed but it’s probably one of the more interesting online debates on the rationale some have adopted in their campaign strategies and the perspectives of those who feel alienated.
I’ll be continuing the debate (or trying anyway) on Global Voices on Newstalk tonight with a representative from LGBT Noise.
Also this week I was invited to speak on a panel at a seminar held by Humanrights.ie and the Public Interest Law Alliance which marked the first anniversary of Humanrights.ie It was a very enjoyable afternoon where I was permitted to rant a little about human rights and medias. I believe there will be video and audio available in the next few weeks. Congratulations to Humanrights.ie for their first very successful year and continued good wishes for the future. (Note to other blogs – this crew had had a birthday cake and bubbly to mark their first birthday – lawyers do it in style!)
In other news
– Ivor, Ann, Labhras and Rónán all sent their excuse notes into the Seanad Members Interests committee, (note that Rónán’s name is separated from the other three in this RTE report.
– Ivor has been spotted brunching in Clontarf,
– Rónán Mullen and the Iona Institute have been moaning about Marriage Equality’s forthcoming conference on Children in Same Sex families and the EU funding that has been awarded for the conference. Where do Iona get their money again?
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Senator Mullen has been all over the radio today – He started on Morning Ireland, topped the news headlines as the day went on, went on Today FM, and ended up on Newstalk.
In between he was spamming some people on his mailing list (s) – at 8.20am and 5.35pm, blogging (psst it’s not a blog when you have no place for people to comment Senator), tweeting and facebooking. Watch out soon for Rónán’s input at a social media seminar near you on how to manage a crisis.
But the Senator’s clumsily handed refusals on air in not answering the question about naming the politician who told him how to fiddle his expenses got me thinking.
Perhaps the media could ask the Senators one by one if they were the person who spoke to Ronan in 2007? Or maybe if Senator Mullen does not name him he was making it all up?
Oh the ways in which one’s conscience might trouble you.
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If it’s the summer it must be time for Peninsula Ireland to publish research and get unquestioning news coverage. For previous episodes of ‘dodgy research getting press coverage syndrome’ please see here here and here .
For those of you unaware – the way this works is – Peninsula do research on employment related topic, get a headline put it on a press release and papers publish it verbatim. Peninsula get press coverage of their company and everyone thinks that the majority of employees take sick leave, surf too much at work and are otherwise terrible.
Today’s dramatic research finding (no info on their website about it) is regarding staff stealing from employers and Business World and other publications have reproduced the press release. Therefore director Alan Price will appear unchallenged throughout broadcast media without any examination of the methods involved in research, sample size and error margins. He’s just been on the News at One on RTE Radio 1 in a classic example of this. 68% of employees have admitted to stealing from employers ergo two thirds of all employees steal.
Trade Unions and others please take note and use some of your resources to kick this rubbish where it should remain.
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