Radio Review: From the moment the post-election Liveline is open, callers pile into each other
It’s Monday, election day plus two, and already on air discussions about coalition permutations are turning ugly. A Sinn Féin voter deems a partnership with Fianna Fáil as “very iffy”, rejecting outright any pairing with Fine Gael. This isn’t a problem for the Fine Gael supporter, who claims Sinn Féin has “blood on its hands”. Just half an hour into the conversation, the parties are hurling abuse at each other.
Marian also harks back to Sinn Féin’s past association with republican violence, from her “blood on their hands” remark to asking: “What did Sinn Féin ever do, except rob a few banks?” Duffy half-heartedly breaks up the clinch: like any good referee in a sparring match, he also knows that his audience likes nothing better than a good scrap. Even so, one hopes that when actual coalition negotiations begin, it’s a more civilised affair than Duffy’s debate.
He launches impromptu telephone polls on potential coalition combinations, while ostentatiously announcing that the voting can’t be manipulated by repeat calls, presumably to deter Vladimir Putin from interfering. As an afterthought, he adds that this poll is just an “indication”. Among the entertaining arguments and colourful opinions, it’s a reminder that Liveline may give voice to people, but it’s not the voice of the people.
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