Questions Asked, Answers Questioned

I'm slightly worried. Up until now, I'd have found my political views best reflected in the policies of the Progressive Democrats. Now that's not the reason that I'm worried but maybe I should be!

Is it just me, or has everyone noticed the recent PR campaign by Michael McDowell to rehabilitate his image? He's been appearing on various TV and radio shows where the presenter is "interested in finding out about the man behind the ministry". The questions are so consistent between interview that I've no doubt they were written by the Minister's minder.

• "You are a father who wants to keep his private life private. Is that difficult?"
• "Tell me how you met your wife"
• "How right wing are you?"
• "How do you pronounce your surname? - it's quite unusual and people say it so many different ways!"
• blah .... blah ..... blah ....

Each "question" is designed to allow Michael trot out some homespun tale that is designed to show how reasonable he really is. God, he even doesn't mind how you pronounce his "very difficult name"!

I'd like to know

• How he'd assess his own performance as minister?
• Why he can't deliver a dedicated traffic core?
• What has he done about Garda corruption?
• How he thinks threatening journalists with jail is the work of a liberal democrat?
• Why he resurrected some antiquated piece of legislation (1924 Dublin Metropolitan Police Act) to contrive a kangaroo tribunial in the Rossiter case (instead of using his own framed legislation)?
• How long will he need to continue this PR campaign - until Mary Harney resigns leadership of the PD's or until the next election?