Republican News · Thursday 9 May 2002

Trying to ring-fence Sinn Féin

BY JIM GIBNEY

Since the election started I have listened to and seen Gerry Adams, Martin McGuinness and Bairbre de Brún in the Dublin-based media talking about fairly routine matters arising from the peace process. Why can't we hear them with the same frequency speaking about election related issues?

Did you ever feel someone doesn't want you or that somone is trying to reject you? Did you ever feel someone is trying to make you feel you don't quite fit in? Did you ever feel disconnected to what is going on around you? These are the feelings I had as we entered week two of the election campaign.

This sense of alienation from the election here was brought on by the near absence of Sinn Féin, especially Gerry Adams, from the media, in particular RTÉ television and radio, the Irish Times, Independent and Examiner.

Despite the fact that Sinn Féin in the South has one TD, 57 councillors and in the North four Westminster MPs, over one hundred councillors and 18 Assembly members and has led the peace process and helped change the face of Irish politics over the last few years, party press conferences and daily statements are practically being ignored by some very important secions of the media.

Sinn Féin has more votes nationwide than the PDs, the Greens and the Labour Party, yet apart from the extensive coverage of our manifesto launch, these other parties have featured more in the media.

I've been involved in many elections in the Six Counties. I've fought the bias against Sinn Fein with a fair few editors in my time, but I detect here a higher level of bias and hostility against Sinn Féin.

We have justifiably received a high level of coverage from the media and the political establishment here for our role in the peace process, so I have no complaint on that front, but Gerry Adams is running second only to Bertie Ahern as the most popular politican yet he is not receiving one tenth of the coverage Bertie is getting.

It is too easy to dismiss this criticism as media bashing. It isn't. There is a high degree of media management going on. Since the election started I have listened to and seen Gerry Adams, Martin McGuinness and Bairbre de Brún in the Dublin-based media talking about fairly routine matters arising from the peace process. Why can't we hear them with the same frequency speaking about election related issues?

I saw a welcome and sizeable photograph of Martin Mc Guinness in Tuesday's Irish Times. He was on a walkabout in Dublin's Temple Bar, where thousands of young people were at a festival. It was an ideal opportunity to show Martin talking to young people. The photograph showed him standing alone. That is not the photographer's fault. That is news management.

Why for example did the media, outside of North Kerry, ignore an opinion poll that put Martin Ferris as leading the poll there? Had the poll been telling a different story I suspect it would have been the lead item.

Is it the case that a section of the media has decided to ring fence Sinn Féin to commenting on 'northern' events only? Are sections of the media here trying to play a role similar to that played by the Belfast-based media during the conflict when they thought the way to limit Sinn Féin's growth was to hold them publicly accountable for the IRA's activities?

What also brought on this sense of detachment was the constant use by politicans and media of the word 'national'. Whatever else, this part of my country is, it is not 'national'. I live in Belfast, so how does the last government's 'National Development Plan' affect me or its 'National Health Strategy' improve my lifestyle? At a push, I'm prepared to accept a national stadium because all the people of this island can benefit from it.

There are 32 counties in this nation, not 26. And more importantly, there are one and a half million people living in the other six. The wrong use of the word makes them feel 'outsiders'.

Developing this theme, it is easy to understand why partition works in various ways. The media plays a big part in shaping our views. And preoccupied as I am with listening to the TV and radio in the course of this election, I have occupational choices to make. So it's RTÉ, INN, The Irish Times, Independent and Examiner and the tabloids. I couldn't believe it but days passed before I realised I hadn't read an Irish News or listened to the BBC and UTV.

Corruption and sleaze flickered briefly to life when Bertie brazenly and warmly embraced the disgraced O'Flynns, father and daughter, in Castlebar and when he was ever so eloquently mauled by Vincent Browne on his late night radio chat show. Browne slowly roasted him for half an hour over a spit of facts and figures indicting several TDs and others for corruption. I was suitably impressed. But not so my private taximan. He heard what I heard and amazingly concluded: politicans are all 'lining their pockets' but 'Bertie's not like that. He's a local man'. The 'teflon' Taoiseach escapes again.

This week took me to two other constituencies, Joe Reilly in Meath and Mary Lou McDonald in Dublin West. Joe's constituency is worth watching closely. It's a five-seater and he is a very popular councillor. He could upset everyone's plans but Sinn Fein's. In Dublin West I was in the company of a dynamic duo, candidate Mary Lou Mc Donald and Maria Doherty. Watching them operate their key election workers was impressive. Confidence, competency and a commanding presence is how I would describe this formidable pair.

Suddenly atop my double decker bus I was thrown back in time when I was confronted by the face of a youthful Dick Spring up a lamp post. This isn't North Kerry, I thought. It's Dublin Central. Did I miss a coup in the Labour Party? Has Dick replaced Ruairi? No there's a simpler explanation. A strapped Joe Costello, Labour candidate has his photograph on one side of posters from the 1997 election, when Dick was leader of the Labour Party.

The indefatgible press officer, Dawn Doyle, can breate a sigh of relief this weekend following the launch of Sinn Féin's manifesto on Tuesday. Only she knows the blood, sweat and tears involved in that production.

One of her team, Mark McClarnon. produced another sound bite gem. He described the debate about costings of manifestos as 'fortune telling economics'.

As we go to press I'm ending this article on a similar upbeat note to last week's. An opinion poll in Louth has Arthur Morgan taking the second seat there. Welcome news this is. What's the betting it won't see the light of day outside the Louth press, just as Martin Ferris' poll didn't see the light of day outside North Kerry.