I am referring to the belief that if the Taoiseach was a better ‘communicator’ working people, the unemployed, students, those waiting on hospital trollies would all of a sudden feel better about the cut backs and impositions this government has foisted on us since the recession began and which they intend that we continue to endure over the next five years.
The PR experts who put themselves out to hire for the establishment parties and whose opinions are sought too often on current affairs programmes are the modern day alchemists. However, transforming lead into gold would be a far easier task than simply changing the leader of Fianna Fáil and then going on to convince people that all the cut backs and attacks on our conditions and the taking on of private banking debt has been for our collective good.
It is revealing that Minister Martin in his interview on Morning Ireland today hones in on what he see as the the media mismanagement of the IMF deal as critical in his decision to oppose Brian Cowen and not the content of this horrendous deal itself.
Neither Minister Martin nor the other pretenders to the Fianna Fáil leadership can shirk their collective responsibility for what they have done. Their efforts to do so are a deception that will not work.