Ahern ad upstages ‘old fellas’
But Bertie Ahern stole a march on them all, and he wasn’t even there.
An estimated 800,000 viewers tuned into RTÉ last night for the first televised debate of the election, featuring the leaders of Labour, the PDs, the Green Party and Sinn Féin.
But as Pat Rabbitte, Michael McDowell, Trevor Sargent and Gerry Adams lined up to have their say, the Taoiseach stole a march on them.
Sandwiched between the 9pm news and the debate was a party political broadcast for Fianna Fáil, in which former Bill Clinton, Tony Blair and George Mitchell trumped Mr Ahern’s work in the North.
“He never lost his sense of humour,” Mr Clinton said of the Taoiseach — and judging by the timing of this broadcast, that statement was clearly true.
Once the debate got underway Mr Rabbitte and Mr McDowell did best.
Both men relish parliamentary cut and thrust, and appeared at ease last night — authoritative when discussing their parties’ policies, confidently rebutting criticism from other quarters.
Mr Adams appeared a touch nervous at first, and struggled under attack from Mr McDowell.
Mr McDowell was quick to attack the Greens, too, about a U-turn on taxation. As Mr Sargent responded, the debate was in danger of degenerating into squall, as Mr McDowell attempted to talk over him.
It was Mr Rabbitte who put at end to that with a sharp put-down: the public, he said, didn’t want to see “old fellas like us debating like we were in the L&H” — the Literary & Historical Society at UCD.
Instead, he said, the public wanted to hear what each party proposed to do about the hospitals crisis, crime, and education.
Mr McDowell managed a withering put-down of his own: dismissing his opponents as the “left, centre left and left-overs”. He also scored a point when Mr Adams claimed he lived on the average industrial wage, only for Mr McDowell to point out the Sinn Féin leader had a “fancy holiday home” in Donegal.
Once the debate settled down, each leader stuck rigidly to the message they had outlined in 90-second statements before the debate began.
Mr Rabbitte said the Government had failed to solve problems such as overcrowded hospitals and schools, exorbitant house prices and the high cost of living. Labour would be “the engine for change for a better society, a fair society,” he said.
Mr McDowell said the PDs wanted to support those who worked hard for their families and care for vulnerable people. To do that, a thriving economy was essential, and his party could deliver prosperity.
Mr Adams stressed Sinn Féin’s republican agenda and belief in a united Ireland. Equality was at the heart of the party’s agenda, he said.
Mr Sargent, with notes in blue ink visible on his palms, said that if people wanted a better future for their children, they had to vote Green.
