Nothing new here, but reactions to the first leaders debate is starting to filter out. Here’s what I could find, copied in complete so you can make up your own mind. Will add more reaction as Press Offices burn the midnight oil.

Gerry Adams

Tonight’s debate was lamentably short on solutions. It is obvious that while the Labour Party’s position may differ in some details from that of Fianna Fáil, it shares the same broad approach, in other words — more of the same.

Fianna Fáil leader Mícheál Martin called for what he termed ‘a real debate’. But how can there be any semblance of a real debate when Sinn Féin is excluded?
Citizens are entitled to hear all political views in order to make an informed judgement on the way forward.

Fianna Fáil are unlikely to be part of the next government but the Fianna Fáil leadership will be comforted to know that their policies will be implemented by a Fine Gael/Labour coalition government if that is the outcome of this election.

The Irish people deserve better.

Mary Hanafin

Tonight Micheál Martin won a decisive victory in the debate with the Labour Party Leader, Eamon Gilmore.

Micheál Martin laid out a clear plan to restore Ireland’s economy, create jobs and fundamentally reform our government and politics.

From the beginning, Eamon Gilmore ran away from his own record and his past statements.

Firstly, Eamon Gilmore denied supporting the €15 billion adjustment by 2014. The facts are he did. In October 2010, he said

“Ever since the Government made its agreement with our partners in Europe to reach the 3% target by 2014, the Labour Party has supported it in that objective. We have done so because we believe it is extremely important that Ireland send a united signal to the wider world that we are serious about dealing with our deficit.” – Dail Eireann, Wednesday, 27 October 2010

Sec ondly Eamon Gilmore denied that he was calling for unilateral re-negotiation of the EU-IMF agreement. This is despite the fact that he said only last week that it was “It’s Frankfurt’s way or Labour’s way.” He also unequivocally said” it was a bad deal, it is going to have to be renegotiated.” He ran away from these words on national television.

Thirdly he said that Professor Honohan never said there would be “ catastrophic” and “immediate” consequences for our economy if there was no bank guarantee. In fact, he did say it and here is the full quote:

“Closure of all, or a large part, of the banking system would have entailed a catastrophic immediate and sustained economy-wide disruption involving very significant, albeit extremely difficult to quantify social costs, reflecting in particular the fundamental function of the payments system in a modern economy…. Considering the experience of other countries in such circumstances, the social and economic costs, if they could be quantified, would surely have run into tens of billions of euros…. These immediate costs were avoided by the guarantee.”

Micheál Martin made the case strongly for Fianna Fáil’s plans and policies. He laid out in detail how to grow the economy, to deal with the budget crisis, to create jobs and to fundamentally reform Irish politics. Micheál Martin also exposed the constant changing of Labour’s policies as proof that they are practitioners of the same old politics as usual.

But the biggest loser in the debate may in fact have been the candidate who was not there. Enda Kenny’s absence from tonight’s debate raises serious questions about his capacity to be Taoiseach and lead Ireland.

The debate was held because Micheál Martin invited the other candidates to a series of debates on the day he was elected leader of Fianna Fáil. This is the beginning of a process to change politics in Ireland and to make it more responsive to people and to make it more substantive.

So the response of The Sunday Times’ trolling piece on the death of Irish blogs is alive and kicking.  I am not going to barge in and rechew all of the comment.

What The Sunday Times doesn’t understand that most bloggers don’t want to be journalists, but secretly might want to be better writers, working out ideas or perhaps – and let’s stretch here – for the fun of it.

Why is a British newspaper so afraid of bloggers living in Ireland? Would the French not be a more suitable target or is this the further tabloidisation (look, a new word invented – the sacrilege!) of the Sunday Times? Perhaps Brenda Power can write the next blog piece….

Were I the imbodiment of the Sunday Times, I’d be more worried about the melding of new news sources like Mark Little’s upcoming project. But perhaps that’s just me being rational.

Interesting to see Newstalk adopt a Liveblog-esque mish-mash of streaming video from Oireachtas.ie, in-widget Facebook statusing and Twitter updates all collected in one spot. Not sure about the size of the widget but it’s nice to see it. They are even using the hashtag #budget10!

Just hope they change the livestream to the Dáil because the Seanad isn’t due to speak on the Budget until Thursday afternoon!

This Thursday, there be a hush in Mainstream Medialand as the velvet curtain of silence descends on their coverage for the June 5th elections, not so in the Blogopolis. The main party will be over at Irish Election central. Cian will have the twirly sticks out and Suzy promises karaoke. Do pop over to Irish Election a couple of times on Thursday. I will be.

We’ll be doing our part by publishing the interview we conducted with Eamon Gilmore a little time ago. PPS – all you candidate people, where will you be on Moratorium Thursday?

Last night’s Question and Answers was one of the most powerful episodes bar none. There are no more words. Patrick O’Brien’s voice sounded for the silence masses of people abused in institutions run by religious orders. Yet again, the lead on a political issue is played out on television with the Government and main political parties holding their jaws firm just like it’s the first time they’ve heard about it.

It’s very telling that the strongest, sensible voice speaking out as the dust settles on the Ryan report on abuse carried out by the religious in Ireland is Mary Rafferty. Her work on the States of Fear show a decade ago, still leaves an explosive mark on the Irish psyche.

So if it a case of abuse, a fuck-you stamp on the rights of an individual or an abuse of political power isn’t on television, on Joe Duffy or reported in the press does it exist? There’s something sick in the system, if the public have to see and heard stories to put pressure on the body Politik and the Government to fix things.

If for some reason, Michael O’Brien decided not to go onto Questions and Answers last night. If he had stuck to the clear lines of engagement that Questions and Answers usually gives its questioners. If he had stopped short before he reacted to the panel’s answers to his question on the Ryan report, would we all be talking about it this morning? The sick acts carried out by the religious orders would still weigh heavy on survivors, but of course, the difference is it would not be on TV.

The real question is – Must Every Revolution Be Televised?