Joe Higgins responds to Fianna Fail & the Evening Herald's Attack

dublin | politics / elections | opinion/analysis

Thursday June 04, 2009 16:24

by Joe Higgins - Socialist Party

info at joehiggins dot eu

Desperate O'Dea's Attempted Red Scare Shows Fianna Fail Panic in Dublin

The Evening Herald today joined the political establishment in a desperate bid to dig FiannaFail out of an electoral hole in Dublin by publishing a pathetic 'Red Scare' smear against me as the Socialist Party Euro Candidate by Fianna Fail Minister of Defence, Willie O'Dea. Resorting to the most illiterate of political abuse, O'Dea pathetically tries to associate me with the ghost of the monster Stalin to scare Dublin voters, thereby insulting their intelligence.

The Herald is guilty of sharp practice and contemptible and partisan pro Fianna Fail propaganda by publishing lies from both O'Dea and Eoin Ryan without, quite deliberately, having afforded me any opportunity to respond.

We have FF Worried - Now let's wipe them out! Vote Joe Higgins No.1

The political abuse against me by Willie O'Dea, Eoin Ryan and Mary Harney, who is also quoted, is a panic attempt to divert attention away from the hatred for Fianna Fail among most voters in the capital. Quite appropriately, in page 11, right beside this bit of shameless opportunism, is a poster of a Dublin Local Election candidate in search of publicity with only a ukulele covering his nakedness!

Eoin Ryan who is reaching the heights of hysteria to save Fianna Fail in Dublin also accuses me of wanting to 'bankrupt the next three generations of Dublin people.' This is an unfortunate allusion by him since voters in Dublin know exactly how Fianna Fail's attempt to salvage their friends - speculators, big developers and bankers - threatens a millstone around the necks of future generations.

The hard necked Willie's red scare intervention brings to mind his former Leader, Jack Lynch, doing the Reverend Mother Circuit in 1969 to warn them of 'the dangers of communism.' Someone should tell Wille that the unlamented Stalinist system collapsed all of twenty years ago.

Dubliners will find Willie O'Deas intervention into the Dublin Euro campaign as ridiculous as the photographs published a few years ago of him playing with the army's weaponry in the Curragh which prompted me to ask the then Tanaiste Harney the same morning in the Dail, if she would put us at ease in the Chamber by assuring us that she had asked the Minister for Defence if he had left his weapons at the door!

Having doubled unemloyment in Dublin in twelve months, sold out thousands of jobs in SR Technics and Eircom and savaged the incomes of workers to bail out those whose greed crashed the economy, Fianna Fail will need a little more than anachronistic, cold war smears to gain credibility.

(Above Photo by Michael Gallagher, www.myspace.com/libertypix)

RELATED LINKS
Joe Higgins' Final Election Broadcast: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2paLzGtQ8Fg
Joe Higgins' Webiste: http://www.joehiggins.eu
Joe Higgins' Top 10 Issues: http://www.joehiggins.eu/ideas

Article: "Joe Higgins: Our Campaign is Best Placed To Defeat Fianna Fail" http://www.indymedia.ie/article/92580
Previous article on Evening Herald attack on Shell to Sea: http://www.indymedia.ie/article/88770

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Comments (10 of 10)

Congratulations Joe

by W. Finnerty

Fri Jun 12, 2009 14:32

I have sent you (and some of your new MEP colleagues) an e-mail earlier today titled:

"Is banking crime being investigated by police?"

For all our sakes, I hope you will be able to help out with the issues involved: which are being ducked by many.

I have also placed a copy of the e-mail in question at:
http://www.humanrightsireland.com/MEPs/12June2009/Email.htm

Independence is not a Sunday Independent thing

by Fred Johnston

Thu Jun 11, 2009 12:57

The Sunday Independent, with the exception of perhaps one columnist, does not advocate independence from the Right-wing view and tends to do what it is told by its owners who, naturally, follow that view. It is almost like a State-owned newspaper. It takes on journalists and clumnists whose first couple of columns must include declarations denouncing their former beliefs - Eoghan Harris spent a lot of ink doing just this. It has, virtually, some 'writers in residence' who look after book reviews and the like. It's 'social coumns' concentrate on pretty people with money seen in this nightclub or that. It could be argued that it is not a newspaper at all, really. I don't think any politician of any worth should take the newspaper seriously - and as for it having a huge circulation, I have wandered into many restaurants and hotels on Sundays where the paper is there free for anyone who wants it. It is becoming, in fact, a free-sheet.

At long last

by Hugh Murphy - Sacked by ITGWU and Belfast employers

Wed Jun 10, 2009 21:09

Congratulations, Joe. Now as an MEP you can ask questions of the docile Trade Union Movement which allowed their fawning of capitalism to bring the world to its knees.

Conglaturations Joe

by Confuseus

Wed Jun 10, 2009 12:59

Now I wait for Lisbon 2 attempt.

Hope you can help us Joe to give lying big mouths another good kick in the borrocks.

Then Lisbon Treaty die for good maybe .

boycott newspapers

by Turps

Tue Jun 09, 2009 00:21

I know many people have been disgusted a long time with the Sunday Indo and the evening Herald type of op-ed news 'reporting'.

Isn't it time to translate that disgust into positive action? Why not systematically spread the word about the pseudo political reportage of these publications among friends and communities? Ask individuals and groups to STOP BUYING THE RAGS. That's the only way to hit the smug scribblers - on the money front.

Isn't it time to tilt at the current consensus monopoly held by newspaper companies in Ireland? Their business commentators supported the celtic tiger boom, and papers got fat on property advertising, and need to be reminded about this, as they support anti-worker fiscal measures to deal with the effects of the collapse.

What are the chances of determined and business savvy people getting together to organise a national collection (rem. FF in 1930) to help establish an alternative left-leaning daily or weekly newspaper?

congratulations

by bid - none

Mon Jun 08, 2009 23:30

Dear Joe,

Congratulations, hope to hear lots more from you, I've missed you.

Carry on good work, and your great and funny comments, I love how you can annoy them.

'Wafflah!... wafflah!
Y'are a failed person'

Who is the waffler now?

Not you.

Best wishes,

Bid

by mary hairy and quiet con

Mon Jun 08, 2009 18:33

its nice to be nice bloc mary lou better on the ground bring on the general election the peoples republic is rising high like kennys skirt

good publicity , no witch hunt

by mickb

Mon Jun 08, 2009 16:04

An attack on him by Mary Harney or from any high up Fianna Failer would have given Joe Higgins quite a few extra votes in the current political climate - probably enough to get him elected . The Evening Herald is not a Fianna Fail paper . Its editors would surely have been well aware of the impact of a fianna fail or a Harney led witchunt against Joe on its pages. As the previous poster said , Fianna Fail also said bad things about Mary-Lou MacDonald . Her supporters must feel piqued that she didn't get the same Harney witch hunt treatment written up in the Herald in the days coming up to the election .

Harney

by Blacbloc

Mon Jun 08, 2009 12:19

Ed: Removal of abuse term Harney was baring her fangs at Mary Lou MacDonald as well. Thurggery is the only response FF have to anything.

desperate is as desperate does.

by Jimbob

Mon Jun 08, 2009 11:46

"The political abuse against me by Willie O'Dea, Eoin Ryan and Mary Harney,"

Eoin who???? : )

Still though, Joe, could you not help create jobs by investing in oil companies and diamond companies like Willie the Kid?

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Joe Higgins responds to Fianna Fail & the Evening Herald's Attack

Comments (10 of 10)