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Gerry Adams and Micheál Martin Hugh O'Connell/TheJournal.ie

Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin are REALLY unhappy with RTÉ

The parties feel excluded from the broadcasters referendum debates.

FIANNA FÁIL HAS written to senior management at RTÉ to complain about the party’s exclusion from almost all of broadcaster’s same-sex marriage referendum debates in recent weeks.

Niall Collins, the party’s director of elections for the referendum, has written to director general Noel Curran and head of news and current affairs Kevin Bakhurst to express his party’s anger at “the editorial decision to exclude us from participation in the panels for any of the principal RTÉ television debates”.

Sinn Féin has also said it will be making a complaint to RTÉ and seeking a meeting with the broadcaster, claiming its exclusion from debates has been “outrageous”.

According to Collins’s letter, seen by TheJournal.ie, RTÉ’s elections steering committee informed Fianna Fáil that it had been adequately represented in referendum coverage. But Collins disputes this:

With the single exception of a radio debate this afternoon on Saturday with Claire Byrne, where our Deputy Director of Elections Averil Power has been asked to participate, the main Opposition party has not been represented on any RTÉ debate panel.

“This is despite the fact that our Party Leader has made it clear he is prepared to debate the issue with the Referendum’s opponents.”

Fianna Fail Drug Problems Niall Collins Leah Farrell / Photocall Ireland Leah Farrell / Photocall Ireland / Photocall Ireland

Collins points out that Fianna Fáil has a mandate from nearly 400,000 people who voted for it and has a long involvement with the issue being debated in the referendum.

“Fianna Fáil ministers proposed and brought into law the decriminalisation of homosexuality, equality legislation and civil partnerships,” he continues

We supported this referendum proposal at every stage of its passage and this support was endorsed by our members. To hold that this perspective is irrelevant to the primary television debates is extraordinary.

Collins claims that the broadcaster’s approach is that because the proposal comes from the government it should be the only party to make the case.

He believes this was confirmed by reports over the weekend that Alex White could replace Leo Varadkar in the final Prime Time debate, which takes place tomorrow night.

“As well as abandoning long standing precedent, where all parties supporting a constitutional amendment have been facilitated in making the case to their supporters, this is not the case. The marriage equality amendment is going to the people following a decision of the Oireachtas, not a Government decision,” Collins writes.

RTÉ said it received Fianna Fáil’s letter on Saturday and intends to respond to it “in due course”.

A spokesperson added: “RTÉ has taken care to balance the debates with a range of voices across the political spectrum and beyond. Referendum debate panels are not selected on party political lines.” 

Sinn Fein Gay Lesbian Referendums Padraig MacLochlainn Laura Hutton / Photocall Ireland Laura Hutton / Photocall Ireland / Photocall Ireland

In a statement last night, Sinn Féin’s director of elections for the referendum, Padraig MacLochlainn, said that his party’s exclusion from debates on radio and TV has been “outrageous”.

No political party has worked harder than Sinn Féin in the last while, canvassing and leafleting houses around the state. This has disrespected the efforts of so many Sinn Féin members who have been actively campaigning for marriage equality.

“RTÉ seem to have forgotten that this is not a government driven referendum. It was proposed by the Constitutional Convention.

He added: “We will be making a complaint to RTÉ in the strongest possible terms and we will be seeking a meeting with them to resolve this exclusion.”

Read: We asked every TD and Senator if they’re voting Yes or No. Here’s what they said…

Read more: Politicians tell us why they’re voting Yes or No

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176 Comments
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    Mute Teene Nyantoon
    Favourite Teene Nyantoon
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    Aug 7th 2016, 12:10 PM

    At least repeal the eight first before poor woman are force in to financial sexual exploitation, There are some really disgusting attitudes to women out there, It’s like when trump got nominated and all the racists became inspired.
    I remember sleeping rough when I was younger here, I went into a spar for a hot beverage, An old man approached me and said he could give me, shelter, food, money if I just went with him I said no, even thought I was 16 at that stage I just wanted to die thanks to my family, But I knew I didn’t want to be distroyed. I have only started to think about this recently, How many creeps know that they can acquire some willing victims with the right amount of money. who always go for younger girls not because their actually pedo, but have more like to prowl undetected because women now wore, work etc Yes I know abuse in more likely to happen in homes, but what about the type of the abuse that never comes oout because these people know how to cover their tracks?, From baby homes to state sanctioned moral corruption, F me.

    22
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    Mute Micheal OLainn
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    Aug 7th 2016, 12:16 PM

    Teens, there is so much truth and reality in your comment. Sexual exploitation is such a extensive and pervasive evil.

    16
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    Mute Teene Nyantoon
    Favourite Teene Nyantoon
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    Aug 7th 2016, 12:28 PM

    apparently sex is a biological need don’t you know. We should have in the declaration of human rights…

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    Mute Chlorines72
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    Aug 7th 2016, 12:54 PM

    So you want to abort babies because of some lecherous old man you met in Spar all those years ago!?

    13
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    Mute Teene Nyantoon
    Favourite Teene Nyantoon
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    Aug 7th 2016, 12:58 PM

    no, if we are to put women at risk of prostitution, which is already legal so we already do, at least give abused pregnant women and young girls a right to termination. Not everyone can abortion in it’s current form, maybe we should start crowding it and stop f*cking women and young girls because of a jewish myth.

    17
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    Mute Teene Nyantoon
    Favourite Teene Nyantoon
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    Aug 7th 2016, 1:18 PM

    My parents never talked to me about sex, It never came up in school that we live in a society that adheres to the vice of men. way to go CC. The popes knowledge knows no bounds. he has a book. the book has answers…believe me.

    4
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    Mute Chlorines72
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    Aug 7th 2016, 1:23 PM

    What if those abused pregnant women and young girls decided to keep their children and raise them up themselves?

    Then after a few years they decides that the child’s presence in their lives is too much to cope with .

    The child resembles the biological father and reminds her of the terrible abuse she endured all those years ago.. Should that mother not have the right to kill that child?

    8
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    Mute Teene Nyantoon
    Favourite Teene Nyantoon
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    Aug 7th 2016, 1:31 PM

    Come again please? oh so abortion is murder right? so is the morning after pill right?, And tell us whats wrong with contraceptives? Since your supporting your pedo cult.

    7
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    Mute Chlorines72
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    Aug 7th 2016, 1:34 PM

    Can’t answer the question, thought so. Go back to Spar.

    7
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    Mute Teene Nyantoon
    Favourite Teene Nyantoon
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    Aug 7th 2016, 2:07 PM

    Abortion is not murder and your church is cult….no different then other christian sect.

    7
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    Mute Joey_Westland
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    Aug 7th 2016, 2:16 PM

    Abortion, abortion, abortion.
    You sound pretty brainwashed yourself.

    10
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    Mute Teene Nyantoon
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    Aug 7th 2016, 2:52 PM

    lol I was thanks to missionaries, I’m not anymore thanks to secular thinking, Don’t like abortions Joey? Of course you don’t you wombless cultist.

    4
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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Aug 7th 2016, 5:25 PM

    Dear God, what bull…

    2
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    Mute Paddy Lynn
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    Aug 7th 2016, 12:18 PM

    The usual pig-ignorant rhetoric and chaotic ad lib balderdash from bumbling bugler, Trump.

    14
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    Mute Joey_Westland
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    Aug 7th 2016, 12:07 PM

    Great to see a natural human response from a politician for once.
    If that was Hilary she’d probably take the baby, pretend to breastfeed it then go on an hour long rant about women’s rights, feminism, marching babies to freedom and generally boring the brains off the world in general.

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    Mute Joey_Westland
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    Aug 7th 2016, 12:09 PM

    The usual nonsense devout Democrats love.

    9
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    Mute Jester VonDoom
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    Aug 7th 2016, 12:35 PM

    devout people are the worst

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    Mute Andy Cahalan
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    Aug 7th 2016, 4:55 PM

    Hillary would sacrifice the child to Moloch, Minerva, whatever. 3 references in her emails to the occultism of The Cremation of Care! Which is a ritual child sacrifice!

    http://politiforum.com/t/hillary-clinton-connected-to-bohemian-grove-minerva-god-moloch-owls/436

    Only seeing the “lollipop experience” thing from DNC emails now. Let your imaginations run wild.

    I don’t even buy most of that stuff but can’t figure out why they’d be talking about it at all!

    4
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    Mute Fintan Oflaois
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    Aug 7th 2016, 5:20 PM

    Ah, poor Joey. Prepared to stay in the bunker with the wannabe Führer and pop a cyanide pill before the howling hordes of sanity take you alive,

    But there is something you could do right now to show Trumpler how much you love him: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10210328363424935&set=a.1191034335491.2028973.1217362611&type=3

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    Mute Alois Irlmaier
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    Aug 7th 2016, 5:27 PM

    Jester devout people are not bad, it is the ones who act devout you have to watch out for?

    4
    von
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    Mute von
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    Aug 21st 2016, 6:02 PM

    Consulting adults who are priests or nuns i have no problem with, they know what they are doing.
    Its the ones who touch the Children and abuse as long as the want and tell them the Parents will die if they tell anyone. They are the demons.

    1
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