Poll topping Fine Gael TD from Listowel Jimmy Deenihan has finally broken his silence on the Listowel sex assault case.
Today’s Irish Times reports Mr. Deenihan saying ‘Listowel was not the kind of town that would allow a woman to be ostracised.’
“Listowel is a caring, compassionate town. This girl will not be ostracised. She will get every support possible,�? he said.
Pity he didn’t say something last week or over the weekend. It took local councillors a few days before they said anything and now it’s to defend the ‘good name of the town’ with a nod to the survivor but some would say it’s not a big nod as there are votes to be minded.
I presume that when it is reported that the other local TDs for north Kerry have got around to making statements on the matter that they too will get posts devoted to them? Is there a countdown clock ticking under portraits of deputies Ferris and McEllistrim at Chateau Poulet? Have we a statement from any of the prospective Labour general election candidates as yet?
It might seem odd to some but statements from local politicians are often made with a very difference timetable in mind. It was hardly likely that what each individual cllr had to say on this topic was going to be reported in the national press so their focus was more likely to be sure that they address those that will pay any attention to them. That means timing their statements for this weeks Kerryman and Kingdom papers, that is who they as local reps are primarily accountable too. The notion that it is the speed of one’s statement that is most important is very Sky News. One would hope that the local TDs were in Dublin last week when the sentencing in the case happened, most likely returning to Kerry on Friday evening. That they decided that getting the full facts in person (such as whether the young woman wanted the matter discussed further or whether she simply wanted it all to go away) before commenting is hardly something to be lamented.
Once it was late on Friday night then the choice was issuing a statement that wasn’t going to be reported until early this week anyway or giving yourself time to get it right. The press and media coverage at the weekend in Ireland, especially on Sunday, is markedly different from during the week.
Hang on a minute Dan your FG membership card is a bit hidden there. Ah that’s better.
Deenihan is nearest to Listowel and posseses a telephone ever mind local knowledge which I assume travels with him.
Ferris is probably hiding out with the farmers nearby and McEllstrim isn’t from the area at all as I understand. Local cllrs and TD’s can’t afford to wait for local papers in this situation when national eyes are foccused on the issue. Assume Radio Kerry would have been happy to oblige at any time. The away in Dublin excuse doesn’t wash – if there was a funeral to be attended it would have been sorted.
I didn’t dwell on the mealymouthed patronising nature of his comment as quoted yet because I’m waiting to see if there’s an unedited version elsewhere.
Suzy, I doubt if my membership card is ever that hidden unlike those of many others on-line.
If Deenihan had commented on Saturday you’d have been as likely to claim he was simply getting in the way of the press conference later that day. Let’s face it, you’ve made the focus on this piece the one TD from the constituency who has commented in contrast to those who haven’t who you choose not to mention at all.
You might live in the 24/7 continuous news world, loads of other people don’t. For all we know the statement was issued at the weekend but only reported on today because the reporters only became aware of it yesterday. Do you know if that was the case? Did you try to find out before posting? Or was being first the most important thing?
In case someone is thinking that I’m simply defending the Deenihan statement come what may, I think he should have been more to the fore here but I’d wait until I got a chance to read the statement in full first before passing judgement on it. Would I have issued a statement much earlier if it were me? Sure. Would I have contacted Radio Kerry and lambasted the 50 no matter who they were, or how many votes they influenced? Absolutely. But I’m not a TD nor likely to be one.
Dan: locals in Kerry, including the priest, supported a man who’d sexually assaulted a woman over the woman involved in an attack … can you tell me how that was ever right? Aren’t you concerned that local politicos didn’t intervene with support for the woman involved?
The silence of local politicians was very odd to me, given how the Hayes case developed and caused much political damage to Kerry’s reputation – surely something new emerging should have set off alarm bells?
I just don’t accept that Kerry isn’t a load of indigenous isolates who are cut off from the goings-on of the 21st century, local political leaders could have and should have spoken up about the stigmatisation of this woman and the’celebration’ of a perpetrator an awful lot sooner.
SeanR, the conduct of the people in the court was disgraceful but that isn’t the subject of this post much as I’m sure you’d prefer to take the comments off in that direction rather than deal with what has been posted here. I’ve done most of my on-line commenting on the case on p.ie, I contacted the Diocese when I heard about it and also Radio Kerry with my views (I would imagine I was one of hundreds to do so). I don’t see the need to go over it all here again for your benefit.
This post is not about the case. It is about the lack of a response being seen in the media from local reps. How do you know what local politicians in Kerry said or when they said it, or who they said it to? I’m not in Kerry at the moment nor is Suzy and it sounds like neither are you. Is it actually silence or simply that they’re not addressing themselves to you so you didn’t hear what was said? I’ve not heard or read comment from lots of people on this, it doesn’t mean they haven’t.
It is possible that people were hedging their bets waiting to see what side things fell on or alternately that they were letting the people give expression to their feelings, or a combination of many factors good and bad. I’ve already said that I think Deenihan should have been more to the fore so I don’t see that we’re not in dispute on that. The question is that only one rep is referenced in the post and that’s the one that actually has commented, while the others all get a free pass form Suzy on this. That is what I questioned.
Curious that no other politican has commented. The local bishop made a very dignified statement (no doubt in sheer embarassment at the American retired priest who’d become a patsy in the whole affair).