Fergus Finlay: Some Irish politicians refuse to applaud a man fighting for his life

We know, or we suspect, that one of Putin’s objectives right now is to see Zelenskyy killed, writes Fergus Finlay.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his office in Kyiv, on April 9. Picture: Evgeniy Maloletka/AP

Tue, 12 Apr, 2022 - 06:30

Fergus Finlay is a former political activist and adviser to three governments, the former head of the children's charity Barnardos, a writer and a broadcaster.

Every Sunday evening, I lock myself into a little shed in our small garden and devote myself to the ineffable privilege of writing down my humble thoughts for your edification. I know you’re waiting, agog, for Tuesday’s Irish Examiner to land. So nothing can distract me from that duty.

Except big sport on the telly. A lot of other stuff I can record and watch when duty is done, but big sport must be watched live. I can’t bear that business of ignoring the news, living in a world of silence in case you inadvertently hear the score you’ve been waiting for.