SEAI RTE TV The Sunday Times

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Message to the

New Irish Government

Please - Please

Scrap the disgraced SEAI

My readers will know that I have no love lost on the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. I have dug into that organisation on the basis of (1) the foolish, badly planned and unwise strategies they have adopted. Their complete lack of "joined-up-thinking".  (2) their closed door to all critics and suggestions,  (3) and their total lack of consideration and after-care for their "customers".

But I am greatly angered and totally appalled by coming on a "Sunday Times" story about SEAI spending my money to make themselves look good. They are no better than the crooked bankers and developers, or crooked politicians paying spin-doctors. Nothing justifies a public body spending public money on spin-doctors to cover it's errors and make it look good.

New Irish Government - are you listening????  Please scrap the SEAI immediately!!

It knocked me sideways and appalled me to read the "Sunday Times" article by Colin Coyle from last April, reporting that SEAI paid out almost €1,000,000 of our money to Duncan Stewart's TV production company for "favourable publicity".

"The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI), a state agency “promoted” on About the House, a home improvement show, has paid Stewart’s production company almost €900,000 since 2003, including €243,000 last year."  Sunday Times 4th April 2010


The Sunday Times article quotes an SEAI stipulation in an agreement with Stewart's company from documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.

“interviewees [on the TV show] must be selected and presented in a way that are both beneficial to the profile of SEAI and also don’t have an editorial or advertorial feel”.

And good old State Broadcaster RTE is complicit in this cozy little spin-doctoring arrangement  between a statutory body and a publicity company. Where is the balance and fairness?, where is the open debate?, where is the service to the public?

Who gives a F**k about morals and ethics in Ireland? Not the State Broadcaster, or the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland.

I just knew something stank of rotten fish at SEAI. My nose kept insisting that this State Authority did not smell quite fresh enough to be wholesome.

Here is the link to the Sunday Times article please read it for yourself.

Thank you Sunday Times - I am just sorry I did not come upon this piece sooner!!!

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/ireland/article7086880.ece

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