Radical Liberal corrupted by party of power

I refer to Michael McDowell of course and the tawdry deal with the ruling party over the Privacy Bill as a quid pro quo for the Defamation Bill.  This "liberal" ought to resign right now.  It's the one thing that might actually restore some credibility to the man who would be "radical or redundant".  Two articles in today's papers, both by lawyers, show how the Bill's provisions are both unnecessary and dangerous.  There's a stinging piece by Alan Ruddock illustrating McDowell's opportunism, inconsistency and intellectual dishonesty. 

This Bill will help the already privileged and powerful to evade proper public scrutiny.  It will make the judicial apparatuses of state power mighty and overbearing, something that true liberals would abhor.  The print media, largely because they failed to get their house in order, deserve to have a Press Council foisted on them.  But the Privacy Bill would negate the proper role of the media in a functioning democracy.  Fianna Fáil have been dying to put the boot into the media and this is their chance.  No self respecting liberal should tolerate this, much less actively facilitate the process.  McDowell's fondness for wielding political power has firmly squashed any radical liberal principles he might have once held.

Comments

[simon]

Seemingly the privacy bill is FF's baby that they insisted on putting on the lilbel bill to let it pass