Media

Darragh McManus, writer

Favourite book:
1984 by George Orwell. Sheer perfection.

The last book read?
Don DeLillo's Falling Man. A tremendous novel from a true master, his best since Underworld.

Bertie's finances and stamp duty: does the public care? No, but the media do, writes Chekov Feeney

Denis O'Brien is assembling a vast war chest with which he may do battle in Ireland with Tony O'Reilly and Michael O'Leary. By Martin FitzPatrick

An organisation is taking a case against the government regarding legislation which allows for the retention of data on individuals by communications providers. By Tom Rowe

Pragmatic Politics, bowled by Bertie and Enda civilisation

The election campaign started ominously for RTÉ Radio. On the morning of Sunday, 29 April, Sean O'Rourke began the station's election coverage with a 8am start, but for over two hours, there was not a mention of the story of the day, Frank Connolly's exclusive in the Mail on Sunday, about Bertie's extraordinary financial arrangements. There was the usual brisk (breathless?) traverse through the issues, no illumination and not a word about the Mail on Sunday story.

The nurses' dispute served as a good reminder that there are few things in the world that can be relied upon like the media's attitude to industrial disputes. They are, in general, as hostile as they can be to any group of workers who take industrial action. This isn't because journalists are all right-wing ideological fanatics, although some are. It's simply an expression of the basic class nature of the media.

O'Reilly alone took €110m in payments from Independent Newspapers since 2000, while jobs are being cut and outsourced to make way for even more largesse. By Martin Fitzpatrick

Favourite book?

English Passengers by Matthew Kneale, or any novel by Peter Carey.

So Sue me; Cooking the history books; Amazing Anschutz