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AN SDLP MLA has written to RTÉ’s management outlining the party’s “frustration and dismay” and not being represented at yesterday’s Claire Byrne Live debate on a United Ireland.
Matthew O’Toole has said that “speaker after speaker” during the discussion cited or directly quoted John Hume and Seamus Mallon, the late former leader and deputy leader of the party.
The RTÉ programme featured a host of politicians from north and south including the leaders of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Sinn Féin and the Alliance Party.
As well as party leader Mary Lou McDonald, Tyrone singer Niamh McElduff was also introduced as a Sinn Féin member.
DUP MP Gregory Campbell was also featured on the programme, as was former Fine Gael leader John Bruton and various others from non-political perspectives.
In his letter to director general of RTÉ Dee Forbes, O’Toole praised the “breadth of the guests on the programme” which included “a diversity of unionist and non-constitutionally aligned experiences and perspectives”.
Last night's #cblive debate was interesting, but you may have noticed something missing.
— Matthew O'Toole (@MatthewOToole2) March 23, 2021
Speaker after speaker quoted our founders, but @SDLPlive was excluded.
Our distinctive voice in Irish politics will be heard. Our values aren't going away. Our letter to @deeforbes_dee 👇 pic.twitter.com/toMQthoMVF
Within that context, he said he was dismayed by what he said was the decision to “exclude the voice of the SDLP”.
“We are deeply proud of the immense moral, political and intellectual leadership of Hume, Mallon and other SDLP figures in shaping the Ireland of today. But we are impatient to be part of a debate on where this island goes next, indeed we are a critical part of it,” he says.
To imply that one party represents all of northern nationalism, and another party represents all of the progressive middle ground, is fundamentally wrong and we won’t let it stand.
O’Toole added that his party had made contact with the programme “on multiple occasions” over the weekend to seek to be represented and had spoke to the deputy editor of the programme yesterday.
He said “it was acknowledged that our participation could have been sought but we were not contacted again”.
As well as Forbes, O’Toole’s letter was sent to RTÉ’s head of news Jon Williams and managing editor of current affairs David Nally.
Responding to The Journal, an RTÉ spokesperson said that it had received the letter and “will be replying directly to the SDLP”.
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All houses already come with a built-in app to check if there’s a power outage in your area… its called a light switch. :-)
Couldn’t that just mean your trip has tripped?
..Then simply get a chair from the kitchen and get up and check! :D
What is the definition of a shock absorber? A: A careless electrician.
I’ll get my coat.
Just because the power to your house is gone doesn’t necessarily mean there is a power outage in your area. It could be a fault in your own electrical installation or it could be that the ESB main fuse has blown. So, no … the light switch is not “a built-in app”.
I hate when your in the middle of typing something and the pow
Are released?
Waterford also had a power outage…
Non story.
Where the hell is Waterford?
@Sean
That’s a bit harsh, just because a town/city is outside the capital doesn’t make it any less important, if that’s what you’re implying.
A bit of balance would be great. Pretty much a third of the city was out this morning. Big deal in my book
Where’s Daltry?!
That would be Dartry… have fixed the error!
I was thinking :-P
Roger Daltry from the who, he passed out powerless last night
Whatever happened to ‘power cut’ ?
Who decided it was to be called by the American version ‘outage’
The technical term in the power systems industry is ‘outage’.
@Catriona
Interesting, and you sound like you know what you are talking about.
How do you know this ?
When did it change in Ireland ?
Ballsbridge was in the dark this morning? There must be a wise-crack about that….!
I note one of the the dialogue boxes on the Powercheck website says: “Service Interruption Message:
We apologise for the loss of supply. We are currently working to repair a fault affecting your premise and will restore power as quickly as possible.”
I’m afraid someone in ESB Networks doesn’t know the difference between “premise” and “premises”.
Premise: A previous statement or proposition from which another is inferred or follows as a conclusion.
Premises: A house or a building.
Is the website up and running? Just tried checking the page and it doesn’t seem to load properly.
It should be fixed now if you try it again
Just tried it again… accessed it differently and it works fine.
You can always trust the ESB to deal with current events.
Must be a slow news day!!! The rest of Ireland could have no power but the poor dubs have to have a story loike!
In a word, SO!!
Bleedin frankenstorm.
Power was off in Rathfarnham, Dublin 14 for three hours last night.
Power outage for approx 3 hours in parts of Greystones this morning also.
Power, we have know water since yesterday evening :-( Glasanaon road, D 11
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