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TAOISEACH LEO VARADKAR says that he “understands” concerns around the promotion of the Project Ireland 2040 plan.
Questions have been raised about how advertorials in newspapers have been presented during the €1.5 million rollout of the plan.
The government’s controversial Strategic Communications Unit is heading up a sweeping strategy to promote the plan across traditional and online media.
The Ireland edition of The Times has reported that regional newspapers were directed by an ad agency to ensure the ads appeared as regular news items.
The fallout from the controversy led to concerns at Cabinet, as Children’s Minister Katherine Zappone, Transport Minister Shane Ross and Communications Minister Denis Naughten all raising it with the Taoiseach. Zappone said that public money should not be used to promote Oireachtas candidates.
Speaking to RTÉ’s News At One, Varadkar said he’d spoken to all three over the last 24 hours to allay their fears. Varadkar said that only two of the pieces featured people who were not current Oireachtas members.
“I should say that there were 160 advertorials in papers, all clearly labelled. There were only two which featured non-Oireachtas members – one is a Sinn Féin councillor and another is a pic of a Fianna Gael councillor standing beside Michael Ring.
I appreciate the concerns that have been raised. I agree public money should never be used to promote Oireachtas candidates and that there shouldn’t be a blurring of lines. Guidelines were issued to ensure that didn’t happen, but it’s evident that those guidelines need to be strengthened and I will do that but now the focus is severe weather.
The Strategic Communications Unit, set up by the Taoiseach with a view to streamlining the government’s communications, has come in for frequent criticism from the opposition benches since its inception.
The new SCU exists in tandem with the current Government Information Service (GIS), which runs all day-to-day communications concerning the Department of the Taoiseach.
The unit will cost some €5 million to run this year.
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I wonder will the Marxist rabble who recently had the audacity to gatecrash a Christmas mass in progress at a Dublin Cathedral..an outrage completely ignored by most of the media..to make some point about Israel and Gaza be out feeding the homeless on Christmas day? Somehow I very much doubt it!
@Jonn: I don’t think that Hamas or their fan clubs are noted for their charitable endeavours, especially around Christian festivals.
@Thomas Sheridan:
That’s true! I’m curious why the leftist rent a mob chose a Christian ceremony to disrupt..luck of the draw I suppose? Would they have been as quick to invade a mosque, or even a synagogue,which in the circumstances might have been more aligned with their ’cause’? But like the cowards they are they chose a church,an easy,safe target.
@Jonn:
Away sking with Mummy And Papa.
@H Woo:
Quite possibly, the ‘climate crisis’ will have to wait while they fly into Italy for a nice festive break from virtue signalling!
@Jonn: If Jesus was born now (assuming he was ever born or existed) he would undeniably be Palestinian. Unfortunately, the odds of him surviving today in Palestine might not be very good.
@Jack Hayes:
Jack I 100% support the Palestinians, and denounce everything Israel is doing,it’s an abomination, but still doesn’t explain why these morons thought disrupting a Christmas mass was relevant to their cause?
@Jonn: jesus was Marxist before Marxism
@Jonn: Mayne highlight the churchs silence on the GAZA situation
@Niall Lappin:
The church hasn’t been silent
You just haven’t been listening to it
@Niall Lappin:
How come they didn’t rock up to a synagogue waving their Palestinian flags?Probably more appropriate especially given senior Jewish figures in Irelands unquestioning support for Israel and the IDF? Or would the optics not have looked right, easier to pick on the usual whipping boy,the catholic church!
@Niall Lappin:
It’s always funny when people who wouldn’t be caught dead in a church enlighten us with the true meaning of Christianity!
@Jack Hayes:
He was Jewish
My father was in the Knights and he used to go to the mansion house every Christmas morning to bring comfort and joy and a fantastic Christmas Dinner to the homeless and make sure they weren’t forgotten about.
Excellent work by all those involved, a heartwarming show of Christianity
May God Bless them all.
@JP Fox: may the force be with you too
Nobody should be hungry.
Logion 29 : (L’évangile de Thomas).
Jésus disait : ‘ si la chair est venu à l’existence à cause de l’esprit,
c’est une merveille,
mais si l’esprit est venu à l’existence à cause du corps,
c’est une merveille de merveille.
mais moi, je me m’émerveille de ceci :
Comment cet être qui Est,
peut-il habiter ce néant ?’
(CF MT. 21, 41; MC 12, 11 ; JN 1, 14 ; 1 TM 3, 16 ; RM 8, 13 ; 1 CO 5, 3.)
Translated into French by Jean -Yyves Leloup.
@offside again: Go home bot. You’re drunk
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