THE Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, has said he was making a joke at his own expense on a company's private video recording where he referred to "the f. . . ing peace process".
The contents of the recording, made in Dublin in December 1995, were broadcast on Radio Ireland's The Last Word yesterday.
A spokesman for the Taoiseach said last night: "To use it [the recording] in the context of an election campaign is highly questionable."
Mr Bruton was recorded arriving at the premises of a computer company, Indigo, where he was greeted by the managing director, Mr Michael Brannigan. The video shows Mr Bruton entering the building and asking: "Is Charlie Bird in the bushes?"
When informed that the recording was private, Mr Bruton is heard to reply: "Good. That means I wont be asked about the F...ing peace process."
Earlier in 1995 Mr Bruton had become embroiled in controversy when he told a reporter in Cork that he was "sick of answering questions about the f. . . ing peace process". He subsequently explained that he was in a stressed state at the time and was sorry if he had caused offence.
Following broadcast of the comments by Radio Ireland, Mr Bruton dismissed the matter last night. "I was at a private function and I made a joke at my own expense, referring to a previous difficulty that arose from a comment I made. If you can't make a joke at your own expense you are not human."
Mr Eamon Dunphy, one of the presenters of The Last Word, said the station received the tape late last week and was justified in using it as it was a matter of public interest.
"We checked the tape's origins and dates. We had meetings with the two producers and the Controller of Programmes, John Caden, about the matter," Mr Dunphy said.
It was almost reluctantly that the decision was made to broadcast the recording, but its contents were linked to the story of the day, he added. The media were yesterday carrying reports of alleged diverse views in Government about Northern Ireland, he said.
Mr Dunphy said Radio Ireland had gone to "considerable lengths" to ensure the programme was balanced. The Minister for Justice, Mrs Owen, was interviewed on the matter, along with Conor Cruise O'Brien, the former Taoiseach, Mr Albert Reynolds, and journalists Mr Damien Kiberd and Mr Sam Smyth.
The computer company involved, Indigo, was sold by its owners, the Monaghan-based Moyna family, last year. The former company chairman, Mr Macky Moyna, is a founder member of the SDLP and a close acquaintance of Mr John Hume and Mr Seamus Mallon.
A member of the family told The Irish Times at the time of the sale that persistent rumours that IRA money was behind the Internet service provider forced it to sell.
He said it was sad that an Irish family could not succeed in business because of what had happened with some members of the family in the past.