Decisions in the late 1980s of then communications minister Mr Ray Burke favouring Century Radio over RTÉ arose from Fianna Fáil's antipathy to RTÉ as well as from financial contributions, according to the Taoiseach's former adviser, Dr Martin Mansergh.
Speaking on the Flood tribunal report in the Seanad yesterday, Dr Mansergh said he believed the report's chapter on broadcasting and Century Radio was entirely divorced of its political context.
While he would not be particularly proud of that context, he said he thought it was very relevant to the decisions made by Mr Burke as Minister for Communications in the late 1980s.
"The fact of matter was that RTÉ had been blamed by Fianna Fáil for causing the very unsatisfactory 1989 general election result, particularly the constant hammering of the crisis in the health services and so on," he said.
There had been quite a vindictive mood afterwards. "There is no reference of any kind to that in the tribunal report and so I really don't think that the actions that were taken can be entirely attributed to financial contributions.
Dr Mansergh prefaced his remarks by saying that the tribunal had been in communication with him regarding one of the 184 matters referred to in chapter 19 of the report. "I would have no difficulty in saying what that matter concerned, but I believe the tribunal - I have no doubt the same applies to its other correspondents - wishes me not to do so."
A salutary lesson of the report was that it gave a clear answer to those who might be tempted to give tribunals the runaround, concoct fantastic or preposterous stories to explain inconsistencies or, in general, to show contempt to the tribunals, the Oireachtas and the people of Ireland.
He said the more authoritarian ethos which had existed when he joined the public service 25 years ago had now largely disappeared.
"Perhaps that ethos at times discouraged questioning and discussion and, on occasion perhaps, created scope for untoward activities on the part of a small minority.
"I still occasionally see signs of it being an unhealthy attitude in some public bodies in terms of their reaction to genuinely motivated whistle-blowing. It is not limited to these bodies, but extends to commercial bodies also. I refer here to the evidence uncovered by the DIRT inquiry."
Dr Mansergh said there were lawyers and former judges who disapproved of tribunals because they were less rigorous in terms of the proof sought. He had mixed views on that matter, partly based on history and about what could, in effect, be political trials.
On the other hand, in the absence of virtual proof of overwhelming prima facie cases, how did one get to the bottom of matters arousing great public concern in a democracy? Tribunals had great power and therefore great care had to be exercised. "As a result of the eagerness of the media for sensational findings, a person's reputation can be irretrievably destroyed in an instant. I have never liked it when what is called a 'feeding frenzy' is directed against an individual.
"The bank accounts of my friend and colleague P.J. Mara - even if one, as he claimed, had been omitted by oversight - showed no irregular payments of any kind and he was, in my opinion, hard done by."