Yesterday
the mask dropped. Simon Harris was so annoyed he had to attend the Dåil that he
refused to answer questions. Josepha Madigan denounced the opposition, shouting
‘Shame on You’. Fine Gael just don’t want to be accountable.
At a subsequent press conference with Pascal O
Donoghue, journalists had to submit
their questions beforehand and were not allowed follow up questions.
On
Wednesday, the Irish Time’s Miriam Lord was mocking Richard Boyd Barrett TD for
comparing Fine Gael to Orban’s Hungary where the Fidesz are effectively ruling
by decree and silencing the opposition. On Friday, she had to concede he had a
point.
The Irish
ruling class have a very particular
style. They give an impression of being inclusive and transparent, but they are
past masters at deception.
Take one
example. When the crisis began they called all the opposition parties together
and promised ‘openess’. They informed them that were ‘engaging’ with private
hospitals. When asked whether these were being paid or not, they said they
would come back to us.
They never
did. The arrangement between the state and the Private Hospital Association is
locked away under the rules of commercial secrecy.
This Fine
Gael caretaker government has every reason to stop any questioning about their
role in the health crisis.
Between
themselves and Fianna Fåil, they have run down the public health system so that
we now have the lowest number of hospital beds in Europe.
They have
endangered our healthcare staff by not proving adequate Personal Protective
Equipment.
They have
ignored warnings about nursing homes, dismissing calls for regular testing of
staff going in and out.
They tell
an official story about how Irish business is looking after their staff. The
reality is that many employers are using
the cover of the crisis to push enforced holidays and wage cuts.
Under the
cover of suspending the Dåil, Fine Gael and Fainna Fåil are going to fix up a
deal to run this country again. The electorate rejected them – but they will
not go away.
No wonder
they need silence and a compliant media to manufacture their narrative about the
coronavirus crisis.