As time goes by - December 1983
DUMPETTY-DUMPETTY MUSIC, and then Pat Kenny appears, his eiuows braced on the desk and him staring intently at the camera like he might suddenly leap up and wrestle it to the ground. Hint of a Boyish Smile. (Thank God, that means they're not doing the North tonight. When they do the North it's Eyebrows Dipping and a hint of Oh God Wouldn't It All Get You Down Sometimes But Sure You Have To Soldier On Don't You?) Kenny: The Presidency. The highest office in the land. Today President Hillery was inaugurated for a second term at a rather splendid affair at Dublin Castle. The President, flanked by a guard of honour and with 40 pretty little girls strewing rose petals in his path, was wearing a cute little off-the-shoulder cape with just a touch of ermine along the collar. I was sporting a somewhat fetching little number in two-tone black with lapels you just wouldn't believe. We'll have a report on that event later.
But, first, the Superlevy. What's it all about? Is Ireland being done down by her EEC partners? Are the farmers protesting too much? How will all this affect Dinny and Miley? And isn't Biddy a grand girl altogether? Who benefits? Who pays? Has the governnment handled the affair as well as it might?
If you know the answers to these questions please jot them down on a postcard and send them to Today Tonight The Workers Programme, 30 Gardiner Place.
Brian Farrell: The Dublin Central bytion. The post mortem. Here in the studio we have representatives from the various parties and I'd like to ask you, Tom Leonard, why do you think you won the seat?
Leonard: Eh, I'd like to thank everyyone who voted for me, and I'll do me best to get you the telephones and fix the drains and ...
Farrell: That's all very well, Mr Leonard, but exactly what kind of mandare do you think you got from the electorate?
Leonard: Eh, would it be alright if I sent a greeting? - To me auntie in Drurnshanbo?
Farrell: Really, I'm trying to
Leonard: I'll sing it if you like, Gay, ah, go on, Gay, let's. (Sings). The long and winding road, that leads to your door ... (Holds up sheet of paper on which is written: "Love to all in Drum from all at 73. Sea you at Chrism iss). Farrell: Meanwhile, Sinn Fein have managed to make substantial gains in this by-election. Joe Little has been out getting the reaction of the ordinary man in the street.
(Cut to film: man strolls across Westtminister Bridge, approaches camera). Gerry Fitt: (for it is he) Speaking as an ordinary Joe Soap with an enormous amount of personal courage and an intimate knowledge of the people, the grassroots people, I can say quite unnequivocally that Sinn Fein have absolutely no support. It's all perrsonation. (Cut to thin man smoking pipe).
Little: Tomas McGiolla, armed with .. McGiolla: Certainly not! The Workers' Party is not now, and never has been, connected with any armed organisaation, to wit, the Official IRA, which doesn't exist anyway, or if it does .it has nothing, absolutely nothing, to do with the Workers' Party. There was a time, and this is only speculation, mind you, when some of our members might have raised their voices a little bit, but certainly not in the vicinity of
a bank, post office or security van. We never had anything to do with anyything like that, and if we did we stopped in 1922.
Little: Armed with the figures from the by-election, would you S<l.Y that the Workers' Party is poised to form a government at the next election if only people would wise up and get enough sense to vote for you? McGiolla: Be gob, Joe, now there's a hard one. But I'll try to answer your probing question with all the frankkness of the leader of a democratic party with no military wing whattsoever. In a word: I think so.
(Cut to woman sobbing. An hour ago two Provos walked up to her husband, an R UC constable, and put four bullets in his head. The body is still warm).
Little: Tell us, missus,' how do you feel? (Silence). And do you think the people in Du blin who voted for Sinn Fein hated your husband because he was a Protestant?
(The woman, her nerves in rags, stares in grief at the camera).
Little: The mute look tells us all we need to know about the North. (Cut to studio).
Farrell: Another penetrating political analysis from the Today Tonight team.
Meanwhile, Patrick Hillery, God bless him, was today appointed King of Ireland in a modest little ceremony at which I was pleased to officiate. Asked how he felt about the honour, President Hillery said, "Par for the course, Brian, par for the course." I interviewed Mrs Hillery later but she was really too moved by the signifiicance and gravity of the occasion to say very much. "Cheerio," she said, as she scampered up the steps of the Aer Lingus 747 only seconds before it took off for Athens.
Joe Little has been out getting the reaction of the ordinary man in the street.
(Cut to film. Man faces camera, pushes his glasses back up the bridge of his nose).
Gerry Fitt: Speaking as an ordinary Joe Soap ...