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A NEW TWO-PART documentary is to chart the rise and fall of Charles Haughey in his first and second terms as taoiseach which were notable for several political and national scandals.
The TV3 programme has been produced to mark the 30th anniversary of the political events of 1982 and 1983 as Haughey – who had survived the arms trial of 1970 to become leader of the country by the end of that decade – saw a series of scandals fatally undermine his government.
The programme, the first episode of which airs tonight, charts Haughey’s successful plot to succeed Jack Lynch as Fianna Fáil leader and taoiseach in 1979 until 1981 before returning to power in March 1982 off the back of Fine Gael’s disastrous budget.
It will also scrutinise Haughey’s decision to take on the British over the Falkland Islands which was seen to undermine the Northern peace process.
There was then double-voting scandal involving Haughey’s election agent and his family and the infamous double murders carried out by Malcolm McArthur that would force the resignation of attorney general Patrick Connolly in the summer of 1982.
Later there was the tapping of three prominent political journalists’ phones which was exposed by the newly-elected Fine Gael government in 1983.
Haughey famously described the events of those years as “Grotesque, Unbelievable, Bizarre and Unprecedented” which led to journalist Conor Cruise-O’Brien shortening it to the acronym GUBU.
The programme airing tonight includes interviews with former TDs Des O’Malley, Nora Owen and David Andrews as well as journalists Geraldine Kennedy, Bruce Arnold and Peter Murtagh.
‘GUBU’ will be broadcast at 10pm on TV3.
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Disgraceful, can they do anything right?
@Eddie O’Neill: No.. they absolutely can NOT do ANYTHING right.
@Eddie O’Neill: and it seems it was the rookiest of rooky mistakes too. An average 12 year old knows how to hide email addresses.
Waiting for the (Learn Lessons) excuse now to come next. Unbelievable but not shocked by this
Innocent women and children reall don’t stand a chance in the country!
If they sat down and planned it they really couldn’t mess up this entire mother and baby homes issue any more than they actually have,
And of course it’s a system’s error. So no one held accountable yet again. I would love to know who has the final say in outsourcing these contracts.
Do we not have enough people working in these Departments eg Health, Children etc to handle things in-house? Why do we ALWAYS have to out-source everything? Is it so that no individual can be held to account for these cock ups? This Govt has to be the most inept ever.
@Jane Waters: yes John. It’s so they can land the blame on the external party. Highly frustrating!
I assume they Cc’d instead of Bcc’d in the email invite.
Another article a few days ago people were complaining that the departments subject access request SARS looking for ID of those requesting information was to intrusive and cumbersome for those applying who will be elderly, and now there are complaints that there was a data breach email addresses were seen at an invitation to a meeting that members of the public could attend?
Complaints it’s too strict and then not strict enough?
Ffs. Are we really surprised by the incompetence
have your say