Brendan O'Conor sold his soul for Hamburgers!

by One of many irishvidheads Thu Jan 30, 2003 13:37

He said there were three people at camp the morning he visited. Wrong dude. 7 there. He went no further than the caravan.

He claimed the viewing gallery was never locked. I was there the following night 17th Jan with a video camera and it was locked because US troops were disembarking from a commercial aircraft and nobody wanted this to be seen. I was prevented from filming numerous times even though I was in the company of a TD.

He blanket claims the protesters are making things up and manipulating the media.

Were they making up their early claims - denied on the record by members of the government - that munitions were being transported through the airport? That the airport was being extensively used by the US military. Where was Journalist O'Connor over the months where they struggled to get any kind of hearing about this from the media here?

Is Brendan O'Connor a Journalist. I don't think so. He is a 'hatchet' man sent to do a job on the camp by someone with the mistaken belief that he has kudos with the kids. Well maybe he has with the minipops who liked him doing the singing priest bit - but that's about it.

He's now down officially on the Indo stable 'Hatchet man' list with his Indo colleague Cathy Dennehy as one to be approached with caution.

Yes Cathy we do remember the crack about Genoa Irish Protesters carrying hurleys to identify themselves and also the buzz u had quoting the guards on their rather unique interpretation of video material from Reclaim the streets.

by Paul Moloney Thu Jan 30, 2003 13:41

...I think he came across pretty well (and I hated DFTG too). Certainly better than his opponent, who was by turns dour, stammering, humourlessly earnest, bizarrely illogical, coming across as the worst stereotype of the lazy stooodent protester type, and was unable to answer even the simplest question in a direct manner. She seems to have to infuriated half the country against the Shannon protesters. If he's totally wrong and she's totally right, then she did a terrible job of getting them across.

As for ringing journalists to harrass them; boy,
that's going to get you _lots_ of good publicity.

P.

by Andrew Thu Jan 30, 2003 13:50

If 'journalists' are doing a shit job, or in this case acting as hachet men for the pro war lobby then they should get shit thrown right back at them. You can be sure if he was printing the same sort of crap about IBEC or Fianna Fail he'd have some press officer on the phone to him for hours giving him an earful - they employ people just to do this.

by William A Finnerty Thu Jan 30, 2003 13:57

I heard Brendan too, and he was excellent. He did well especially considering who was the interviewee.!
Of course, Indymedia folk don't like different viewpoints hence you have comments here like 'shit journalist' etc. Indymedia hate anybody who doen't agree with them and often censor comments (Hi Ray). Indymedia promote violence (criminal damage at Shannon and assualts in Dublin). Indymedia are also in my opinion quite racist, especially towards anybody who claims to be American.
Brendan spoke a lot of truth. The Shannon peace camp is a joke beacuse you ruined all respect by the breaking of the laws. You cannot earn respect by doing that. Now I will sit back and wait for the insults, anger and hatered to show itself from the Indymedia crowd.

by thank-you-activist Thu Jan 30, 2003 14:26

ought have a fluffy cat.
and ought stroke it.
He has come crying Amnesty International to this forum with his telephone calls and letters in his upload.
He has appealed to us so many times to help him.
Yet he doesn´t reply to emails.
He berates the corrupt systems yet can not achieve quorate.
William are you in the assembly or not?
Have you not realised we are "tarred" with the same brush?
Or did you not find time to read a newspaper over the last few years?

by Paul Moloney Thu Jan 30, 2003 14:39

>If 'journalists' are doing a shit job, or in >this case acting as hachet men for the pro war >lobby then they should get shit thrown right >back at them.

My point being, giving him an earful might make
you feel better but isn't going to change his mind and will probably just goad him into writing a "protestors try to censor me" article. Time would be better spent convincing _other_
mainstream journalists of the merits of the protest, and bringing their attention to spokepersons who can speak well, sound credible to the mainstream and are good with facts and their sources.

>You can be sure if he was printing the same sort >of crap about IBEC or Fianna Fail he'd have some >press officer on the phone to him for hours >giving him an earful - they employ people just >to do this.

The reality is that IBEC or Fianna Fail would have some financial leverage on a newspaper, and thus a journalist, while a student sitting in a field in Shannon, well, does not. This is unfair, but life is unfair, so you fight the battles you _can_ win and avoid the ones you can't.

P.

by A Proud Anti Indo Protester Thu Jan 30, 2003 14:41

ie. on the streets of Dublin for some crummy teenagers TV show not by trying to debate serious issues such as the Bush War, he has neither the skill nor the knowledge to act as a journalist on such matters!

More crappy TV shows and lots more hamburgers for this one, pronto!

by Conan Thu Jan 30, 2003 14:54

I am supportive of the awareness campaign at shannon airport - I don't believe we'd be hearing even a fragment of the truth were it not for the ongoing protest there. But, here's the 'however', the moral strength and validity of the cause needs to be very very carefully sustained and that means standing behind every 'fact' that's presented as part of the protest. Also, the use of a hatchet was completely misguided - it suggests an action far more dangerous and agressive (even psychopathic?) than it actually was and, probably, the plane could have been damaged just as easily with a rolling pin. "Woman grounds plane with rolling pin" sounds better, doesn't it?

by Andrew Thu Jan 30, 2003 15:08

Conan I think when we worry about a hachet being too agressive in the light of the US planning to unleash 400 - 800 cruise missles on the first night of the attack we are losing perspective. Anyone who thinks a hachet is significantly more aggressive then 800 explosions of one tonne each (dispensing further bomblets - see http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/factfile/missiles/wep-toma.html)
is probably not going to be convinced even if Mary had used a feather duster.

On the other hand aircraft have fairly thin skins and I bet a hachet is just enough to penetrate the surface of them while a rolling pin may have just left dents. Given that it seems Mary damaged the radar (housed just under the surface of the nose in most military planes and very easy to damage) that pentration may account for one plane being stuck in a hanger at Shannon right now rather then transporting soldiers and/or weapons to the gulf.

by Alex - Young Fine Gael Thu Jan 30, 2003 15:26

I think Brendan O'Connor was very fair actually. I might not have agreed with everything he said, but at least he was able to back up what he said, unlike a lot of the rumor hyperbole expressed here.

Oh, and as for Brendan mocking the Peace Camp, as I have stated previously, you are only bring this on yourselves, by your willingness to ignore the law of the land, and your interest in peace in parts of the world that suits you. (Omagh, anyone??)

by Killian Thu Jan 30, 2003 15:48

horrible man and a horrible paper - the sunday sneer.

by Manus - LY Thu Jan 30, 2003 15:52

The reaction of so-called journalist Brendan O'Connor this morning was typical conservative narrowed minded bullshit people on the left have always had to put up with.

He's had it out for the peace camp since day one, as we saw in his article last week in the O'Reilly Rag.

RTE have really show there true colours in recent weeks, Katherine from the peace camp had to put up with O'Connor, Finucane and the academic for nearly an hour.It's Interesting that nobody expressing a similar view was allowed on air. We all remember the Prime Time debate when Tim wasn't allowed to confront Cowen live, that alternative being Guy Mitchel, well know for his anti-war views?

The peace camp and all those involved have played an important role in highlighting the issue.

If the government had acted honestly and told the truth from the begining and if they acted morally rather than with self interest, the incident yesterday would not have happen.

I only wish more people were willing to act morally and directly to avert war and stop military planes landing on our soil. For too long we've let the actions occur on this planet to be guided by self interested war mongerours, if our governments won't listen we have no choice but to fight back. If we lived in a true democrcay and a true republic Mary wouldn't have had to take that action yesterday.

Fair play to her, she has more courage, morality and backbone than all the slimy cowardly crooks in the government.

by Joe Thu Jan 30, 2003 16:54

Have to lay my cards on the table from the start, I have never liked Brendan O Connor, in my view he personifies all that is wrong with journalism, shoddy rubbish.
He has to resort to schoolyard name calling to make his point it does show how weak his argument is.
Why not all contact him through the rag the sindependent and explain why he is wrong, do not get abusive because thatis what he would love and make another rubbish aticle for him, merely using reasoned argument show his attempt at arguing against the camp to be wrong.

by Paul - Irish Socialist Network Thu Jan 30, 2003 17:49

I briefly heard Brendan O'Connor this morning and he was terrible. His comments that the protestors where getting more airtime than they deserve was just stupid.

He gets too much airtime for because for some reason RTE think he is alternative when all he is a sad unfunny tosser.

It's a pity he wasn't standing in front of the nose of that plane as the hatchet struck.

Moloney

by William A Finnerty Thu Jan 30, 2003 18:28

My predictions were right. Keep on abusing those you dont like and dont agree with. Thats exactly what racists do aswell. Indymedia=racists

by paul mulvo Thu Jan 30, 2003 20:30 mulvillp at tcd dot ie

You have to admt BOC is a good laugh. Mr Finnerty seems to have personal issues with indymedia.
It thought it was quite humerous though that when BoC was talking my dog happened to be having a bad case of diarrea, and I had this in clear view while listening to the radio.
Life, wha?

by hunter - pfln Thu Jan 30, 2003 21:20

...how badly the protestor came across. i support the peace camp, but i honestly didnt think she could argue her points very well, and to my mind came across as a bit of a stereotypical dippy-hippy-type - but then as you all possibly know, im a red. but she couldnt even answer where she got the figure of 1,000,000 dead from. I'm not saying i could do any better or any worse, and it must be quite disconcerting knowing that a load of people are listening to you. but she should at least have had a bit of paper with important points written on it (eg, Iraq was supplied by the west, kurds and shias uprisisngs, milosovic and suraharto's defeats at the hands of their own people, this kinda thing) whereas O'Connor (who I have met a coupla times - hes married to a friend's cousin) is used to making an idiot of himself in the limelight and is in my opinion an arse, always has been and always will be. he's the typical 'rent-an-argument' type of hack that brings such vilification on the journalists trade. i wonder what he *actually stands for*? probably nothing except meeting the next deadline with some tripe that is guaranteed to outrage someone. a bit like julie birchill, in fact there is even a physical resemblence...

but still fair play to her for going on, and she has probly learned so valuable lessons for next time - afterall no-one is an instant bob fisk (who was brilliant on pat kenny the day before)

by Paul Moloney Fri Jan 31, 2003 12:35

It cannot be emphasised how badly she came across. I was with workmates, many of whom are from Asian countries and totally against Bush, and there were hoots of derision, especially when she was asking why she had never protested against Saddam's abuses and said (quote) "I didn't have a chance to go to the embassy", or even (I'm paraphrasing) that protesting didn't make a difference (an interesting comment from someone who wants to be a full-time activist). Perhaps in her seven-plus years as a student, she might think about joining a debating society.

As for her "learning valuable lessons for next time", that reinforces my belief that 99% of protesting is simply a form of self-validation rather than any real desire to change things;
otherwise she would make sure than next time it's someone who can properly handle the media who goes on such a show.

P.