Sir, – If, as he claims, Denis O'Brien is merely a private citizen, why was he given 75 per cent of a page in The Irish Times to lay out his reasons for seeking an injunction on the reporting of his banking arrangements ("I have never experienced this level of hatred", Comment, June 2nd)? – Yours, etc,
DONAL MOORE,
Ferrybank, Waterford.
Sir, – Despite Denis O'Brien having controlling interests in Ireland's biggest selling national newspapers, 14 provincial newspapers, two national radio stations (Newstalk and Today FM) and a number of local radio stations in Dublin and across the country, it would appear that The Irish Times felt he should be afforded an additional avenue to express his views.
It beggars belief that Mr O'Brien has been facilitated in this regard despite his attempts to prevent RTÉ and The Irish Times reporting on matters of public interest, including Catherine Murphy's recent speech in the Dáil on Mr O'Brien's dealings with IBRC.– Yours, etc,
NOEL WARDICK,
Clontarf,
Dublin 3.
Sir, – So Denis O'Brien gets nearly a full page in The Irish Times to respond to allegations which had not yet appeared in your newspaper. A strange type of balanced reporting! – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL J DONNELLY,
Shrule,
Co Mayo.
Sir, – Denis O’Brien asks, “Where would we be in Ireland if four million people had to make public all their banking relationships?”
We would be in Norway – where the tax returns of its five million citizens are published online and in a searchable database, along with town and date of birth. Details include the net worth of each citizen as Norway applies a wealth tax.
The Corruption Perceptions Index, compiled by Transparency International, ranks Norway as the fifth “cleanest” country in the world. Ireland ranks 17th. – Yours, etc,
Dr JOHN DOHERTY,
Vienna.
Sir, – Denis O'Brien in his Irish Times article misuses the word "refute" in exactly the same way as Gerry Adams does. The word means "prove to be wrong", and Mr O'Brien has offered us no proof of anything. – Yours, etc,
FELIX M LARKIN,
Dublin 18.
Sir, – It is interesting that while most publications shrank from reporting last week’s Oireachtas discussions, for fear of litigation, a large amount of space was given over to the wounded breast-beating of the most sensitive man in Ireland (or should that be Malta?). He feels that his privacy has been invaded, but what about the ordinary Irish taxpayer? People who over the last seven or eight years have kept up their mortgage repayments no matter their change in circumstances, these people whose interest rates cannot be negotiated down to a more favourable level. These are the people that Catherine Murphy TD is speaking for, as is her duty as a public representative. It is a pity that more of her colleagues cannot find a small scrap of courage to speak out for the people that they are supposed to represent instead of cowering in fear of particular special interests. – Yours, etc,
ANNE-MARIE LYONS,
Bray, Co Wicklow.
Sir, – Yesterday's Irish Times carried a balanced article about Denis O'Brien.The reason Denis O'Brien himself was obliged to write the article was that The Irish Times could not find any of its journalists to do this balanced story, as none had ever done so. Then The Irish Times reverted to type and within seven pages had yet another negative story about Denis O'Brien, this time written by Fintan O'Toole ("Note the loud silence on public interest", Opinion & Analysis, June 2nd).
The Irish Times and RTÉ have an agenda against one of Ireland's best entrepreneurs, whose companies employ thousands of people. RTÉ and The Irish Times have corporate governance guidelines that I am sure do not include disclosing private financial information of an individual with scant regard to laws and obligations. – Yours, etc,
DAMIAN O’REGAN,
Blackrock, Co Dublin.
Sir, – Fintan O'Toole professed to find my "puzzlement about the meaning of public interest ... breathtaking". Perhaps he should draw breath before pontificating any further. The remark he quoted from my RTÉ interview on that morning was made in the context of a discussion about the publication of an individual's banking relationship with IBRC. I do not see what public interest would be served by such publication. O'Toole's article made no case for such publication.
In the context of my work as a director and subsequently chairman of Anglo Irish Bank/IBRC, I had a very clear view of what the public interest required. That was to ensure that the bank realised the maximum possible return from the loans outstanding on nationalisation in order to reduce the massive cost arising from the policy path followed by government from September 2008 on. That was the central guiding objective of the management and board of the nationalised bank, and they proved to be very effective in that task.
No doubt O’Toole will point out that the final net cost will be huge. It will be considerably less than the range of €29-34 billion forecast in September 2010, thanks to the effectiveness of the bank’s actions and to the upturn in the Irish property market in 2013. – Yours, etc,
ALAN DUKES,
Kildare.
Sir, – Denis O’Brien has long defended human rights, initially through his family’s ardent support for Amnesty. He founded Frontline, an international rescue organisation to defend global human rights defenders. He and his family founded the Iris O’Brien Foundation. He has helped many, mostly anonymously. More public was his benevolence in Haiti after the earthquake. Of all the citizens to harass over the current stance on privacy protection, how could we choose the very one who is grounded in human rights? He has a point. It is important for our society and Constitution and we need to listen carefully. – Yours, etc,
Dr KATE COLEMAN,
Founder of
Right to Sight,
Consultant Eye
and Ovuloplastic Surgeon,
Blackrock, Co Dublin.
Sir, – Please defend my right to hear what any TD has said in the Dáil and the right of the press to scrutinise what that TD has said. –Yours, etc,
ALAN ROSSITER,
Greystones,
Co Wicklow.
Sir, – There is a quaint theory that government derives its just powers from the consent of the governed. Of course, informed consent is best. Without the ability to report in the press what is done and said in the popularly elected national parliament, there is no informed consent by the people. In fact, there is no democracy. – Yours, etc,
DENIS COTTER,
Middleburg,
Virginia.
Sir, – What everyone is missing in this debacle is that all we want to see is transparency in whatever dealings are made with State or semi-state bodies. What is wrong with asking any entity or individual to validate that dealings have been executed in the best interests of the State? The citizens of Ireland have paid a heavy price to bail out the economy and have a right to know. – Yours, etc,
PAUL KEENAN,
Killiney, Co Dublin.
Sir, – I’m guessing that INM was not one of the three media outlets that sought clarification from the High Court. – Yours, etc,
LIAM POWER,
Ballina, Co Mayo.