G
I would say that in additions to the four you mention, the other three have questions to answer too. Davis is known to have benefited from appointments to severla quangos, Gallagher is tainted by his previous association with FF and what some see as his questionable provenance as an "entrepreneur", while Michael D is hobbling around on a bad knee.
And then you have Mitchell who never outlined exactly what death penalty prisioners he sought to help or was it just the ones found guilty of murdering people involved in abortion.
I agree - but until people stop buying tabloid stuff, the meeja will keep on producing it.I actually think one of the reasons for such a dearth of impressive candidates is the knowledge of what they and their family will be put through once they mount a campaign. It's an awful shame the media behave like this and it really isn't doing the country any favours.
I really don't think this has been a major issue for Mitchell. IMHO, his inability to open his mouth without picking a fight with somebody has been his big problem.I would have expected Mitchell's stance on the death penalty to be an electoral hindrance in somewhere like Alabama but I'm genuinely taken aback that this also now applies in Ireland.
Mitchell explained clearly in several interviews that he has consistently opposed the death penalty and made representations, including clemency letters, for a wide range of cases, some of which he named.
I would have expected Mitchell's stance on the death penalty to be an electoral hindrance in somewhere like Alabama but I'm genuinely taken aback that this also now applies in Ireland.
I agree - but until people stop buying tabloid stuff, the meeja will keep on producing it.
I actually think one of the reasons for such a dearth of impressive candidates is the knowledge of what they and their family will be put through once they mount a campaign. It's an awful shame the media behave like this and it really isn't doing the country any favours.
No he didn't. He claimed he made representations on numerous cases but never revealed which ones. Or at least I never read them. Do you have a link?
He rattled off a litany of cases on Ivan Yates show last week or the week before. (He included in this the Iranian lady who was sentenced to be buried up to the neck and stoned to death). I think this was the second time I heard him say this.
You can look up the link(s) yourself.
I don't have a problem with his stance on the Death Penalty. I do have a problem with selective campaigning on the issue.
By the way, I don't think this is a big issue.
Ratting off names is not sufficient. He made written represenation in the US case and the letter has been seen. What letters did he write in the other cases? Lets see them. As far as I know, there is only one case where the representation he made has been made public.
Just to clarify, my interest in this subject derives, not from support for Mitchell, but from a concern that this episode will leave Irish politicians very reluctant to make statements whenever someone is lined up to be executed on dubious grounds in a foreign jurisdiction.
Anyone who is old enough will remember the tabloid headline 'LOONY MP BACKS IRA PUB BOMB MONSTERS' which was used to vilify Chris Mullen, campaigner for the Guildford Four. I sometimes wonder how many of Mullen's fellow MPs were scared into silence by that and similar headlines, and how many innocent people were left to rot in jail, being unable to garner sufficient public attention to have their cases re-examined.
And Mullen was no stranger to being accused of 'selective campaigning' either
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?
We use cookies and similar technologies for the following purposes:
Do you accept cookies and these technologies?