What Happened When Libertas and Their Czech Mate Sat Down to Dinner...
The Libertas organisation's dinner honouring the Czech President's visit to Ireland caused a furore and may have paved the way for Prague's head of state for the next Czech presidency of the EU.
Jason O'Toole, 25 Nov 2008
The controversial dinner party hosted by Libertas founder Declan Ganley in honour of the outspoken Czech President Václav Klaus was regarded as a contentious event in the diplomatic sphere. And in many ways it was: Klaus certainly shows scant regard for what are considered diplomatic niceties. But the reaction in these circles paled in comparison to the media furore that the soiree subsequently sparked, both domestically and internationally.
In a way, the reasons are obvious. Vaclav Klaus’ role is similar to that of the Irish president. Given that the Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek – who will lead the Czech EU presidency – recently said he hoped parliament would ratify the treaty by the end of the year, the reaction to Klaus’ intervention is akin to what we might expect if Mary McAleese began to campaign on the Lisbon Treaty in a way that was obviously at odds with current Government policy. But the extent of the coverage, and the underlying assumptions it reflected, were bizarre nonetheless.
The Irish Times went so far as to print the dinner menu and the entire list of people who attended what was intended as a private function in the ‘Great Room’ at the Shelbourne Hotel. When I received my invitation, I never envisaged my name would appear in the “paper of record” alongside the 95 people who attended! The paper also actually flagged certain names – including yours truly – on the grounds we were perceived as “leading opponents of the EU integration, anti-abortion campaigners and prominent figures in the Irish news media.”
Thankfully, I wasn’t labelled as an “anti-abortion” campaigner or anti-EU – I have never publicly ground an axe on either front!– but instead was listed in the latter category alongside the likes of Eamon Dunphy, Bruce Arnold and the Sunday Times editor Frank Fitzgibbon, who later commented: “Not since Sidney Poitier was brought home to meet Spencer Tracy in Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner has an evening meal prompted such controversy... ”
Page 1/4 <Previous 1 2 3 4 Next>
©Hot Press 2011. Why be a member? | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy