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TAOISEACH ENDA KENNY has declined to take part in a live debate on TV3 two days before the referendum on the Fiscal Compact treaty.
The government has this afternoon confirmed that Kenny will not participate in a live debate with Gerry Adams on 29 May, two days before polling despite the broadcaster offering to replace moderator Vincent Browne with its political editor Ursula Halligan.
This follows Kenny’s comments that he does “not do the Vincent Browne programme”, a stance believed to be related to comments the veteran journalist made about the Fine Gael leader when he said that he should go into a dark room with a gun and a bottle of whiskey.
Browne later apologised for these comments.
A government spokesperson said today there were a “number of conversations ongoing” about the possibility of Kenny appearing on other broadcast debates during the referendum campaign but added that nothing had been finalised at this point.
TV3 said in a statement: “The decision by An Taoiseach Enda Kenny to decline TV3’s offer to participate in a live debate on the European Fiscal Treaty with the Sinn Fein leader, for no stated reason, is regrettable.
The broadcaster said that it did not expect Kenny to appear in any televised debates during the referendum campaign including with the state broadcaster, RTÉ, because this would indicate bias.
The statement continued: “It is disappointing to note that the only occasions on which the Taoiseach has chosen to appear on TV3 is when he seeks to promote charitable causes.
“Whilst these appearances are important, our viewers are equally entitled to hear the Taoiseach’s views on matters of major national interest, including the forthcoming fiscal treaty referendum.
“TV3 can now only assume that the Taoiseach will not appear in televised debates during the course of the referendum campaign including on RTE television, in order to avoid any inference or suggestion of bias towards the state broadcaster.”
The spokesman for the Taoiseach said he would not “comment on hypothetical situations” when asked about TV3′s comments.
TV3 said that the debate would not now go ahead.
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Still use my nano for runs and the gym , it’s great.
We had the classic iPod, then our daughter got the nano5 and our son the nano7. His has broken since, but hers still works.
Would be nice to have an mp3 player not reliant on the internet to give kids to let them have music in their bedroom….tjat did not have a camera, text messaging, etc. In other words, can we have separate devices for each activity? Oh wait….we used to have it that way…..
@Seeking Truth: I bought my daughter a low tech stereo system and CDs! She loves that the radio never buffers!!!
@Deborah Behan: she has a CD player and can listen to the radio on her iPod nano. But Spotify makes things tricky!! Looking at a Sonos wireless speaker that runs from an app anywhere in the house so the device can stay downstairs but they are fairly spendy!!!
Still have me 2gb nano and 80gb iPod 2nd edition and they are still going strong!
I still use my 120gb iPod. Long may it last !
I wish I had any iPod
I won an iPod nano 4th gen in college in 2004. I wasn’t into music really turn so I gave it to my sister who was. A few years later she gave it back when she got a phone that could store music. I used it for podcasts and music then. In 2010 I got an iPod touch 4th gen and used that instead. A couple years ago I gave the iPod nano back to my sister and she uses it for music in her car. It’s a great little device.
What’s a Walkman ??? :) I’m still hauling a record player around with a long extension lead :)
I have the first Generation IPod, took great care of it and think I even have the original box for it.I’m hoping it will be worth something in the future
@Melina Roberts: It probably will be. Apple recalled them a few years back due to battery issues and replaced them with a newer version (the small square thing whose button always breaks). If the screen wasn’t broken we wouldn’t of sent ours away. It was the original classic design.
Pity…
very tough to get a device these days that children want and can satisfy parents at the same time.
Over rated over priced just like VW Audi cars.
@Alan Scott: I got a nano 9 years ago and still works fine. Worth every cent!
I had a 5th gen Nano about 10 years ago. It was a perfect piece of kit and had I not lost it it would probably still be my preferred way to listen to music.
I had a 160gb iPod classic and have an iPod touch but never use it now. I use Spotify on my phone as my main source of music these days.
I waited for the first generation iPod touch. I still have it (though for a time I thought I lost it and got a 4th or 5th generation iPod touch and found the 1st generation one a few days later.)
never liked apple devices
Classic
I have a one of those iPod classics U2 edition jobbys somewhere in the house, never even been used as I can’t find it. I’m sure that it is a great little device when it turns up! : O
Never owned an Apple product and never will.
My neck’s killing me carting this boombox about.
have your say