Last night I sat down to watch the 9 o’clock news and within 30 minutes I was sickened by quite a number of things. Firstly, good old Hairy Marney (aka Mary Harney) showing up to the announcement of new jobs in Cork, I ask where was she when 3-com announced losses? Surely her support was needed more then? Secondly, M�che�l Martin has been sent away to New York this week according to our beloved Taoiseach Bertie. His mission is to inspect the factual impact of the smoking ban over there. Is it just me or could this have been achieved with paperwork sent via airmail and the odd phone call. No, not our government, why save money when you can waste it on business class flights in the most expensive library visit in history.
Then the ad break came and yet another National Safety Council advert. I have reached the stage where I normally change the channel at this point as these ads really annoy me but I watched it through. Just to clarify the issue this is the ad depicting kids walking home from school and texting each other. Anyway after the usual debacle of flying bodies I noticed for the first time that this advert was sponsored by AXA also? What the hell? The focus was on kids walking home and being at fault, not the driver of the blue van. What possible reason would a car insurance company have to support this theme? Alas, it dawned on me, young people. Yes, they’re at it again if you can’t show them killing your kids, looking like psychotic boy-racers or generally being a menace to society what better way to instill it in the minds of the public that the young are irresponsible, wayward and a danger on our roads. It doesn’t matter if they are driving or walking as long as they are seen to be at fault. Please, please, please can we see an advert with Mr Slick Businessman in his Volvo racing to a meeting at 80mph (oh but hang on we already see enough of our politicians on tv, don’t we Mr. Martin?) Just one ad is all I ask showing us that old and supposedly mature people can have accidents too. All I ask for is a balance and both sides of the story.