Dáil election leaders’ TV debate has to include Sinn Féin to be fair

THE Political Correspondent of Ireland's leading red-top daily newspaper has said that a leaders' debate hosted by RTÉ in the Dáil general election can only be fair if it includes Sinn Féin.

Changed times: No more two-handers

The Irish Daily Star's Catherine Halloran writes in her Popcorn Politics blog, in a piece titled A Bit of Political Four Play, that not only should the old two-way tag between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael be changed to include the Labour Party but it has to accommodate "the new power that has emerged" – Sinn Féin:

With the last opinion poll showing that Sinn Féin had as much support as Fianna Fáil, surely there is a valid argument to include them in such a debate?

To keep them out based just on the number of TDs the party has at the moment would be a gross insult to the people, many who, for the first time, are preparing to give the party a vote.

Halloran adds that it is the same for Labour supporters.

Labour will be a significant power in the next government and Eamon Gilmore deserves a podium at the leaders’ debate.

The logistics shouldn't be a problem either, she points out, highlighting the three-way debates held in last year's Westminster elections in Britain.

Four-way debate in last year's Westminster poll in Six Counties

What Catherine forgets to mention is that the BBC hosted a four-way debate between party leaders in the North last year too.

But returning to Dublin and the Dáil elections, what about the Green Party?

The Greens will, no doubt want a place in a leaders’ debate if it is a free-for-all. But a line has to be drawn and with little more than 3% support, it is hard to argue that they should be there.

A four-way debate is the fairest way that RTÉ can deal with this.

Then again, it may not be RTÉ who does it at the end of the day, Halloran notes.

TV3 will, no doubt, be keen to pitch for their slice of the action.

To be fair to TV3, they are taking the bull by the horns in overhauling TV coverage of elections.

RTÉ's rival wants an end to the archaic broadcasting moratorium in advance of polling day, she says.

Current guidelines drawn up by the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland force TV and radio stations to stop virtually all political coverage in a 48-hour period, which includes the day before polling day and the day of the poll itself, a restriction which does not apply to print media "or to foreign media which are available in Ireland".

TV3 believes this moratorium has no basis in law, is non-existent in other countries, is ineffective and is archaic.

Let's see if there is any momentum by broadcasters to change it.