MORE THAN 1.1 million people watched Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s televised address on Sunday night.
RTÉ yesterday said the speech had an average audience of 1,199,000, or a 60 per cent share. “The audience peaked at 1,231,320 at 9.39pm,” the broadcaster said.
Meanwhile, independent commercial television station TV3, which said on Friday it was told too late about the time of Mr Kenny's broadcast to accommodate it in its schedule on Sunday night, has invited representatives of the Opposition to respond to the address on one of its programmes tomorrow night. TV3 said leaders of Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin and a representative from the technical group of Independent TDs would be afforded the opportunity to make "an uninterrupted three-minute broadcast to the nation" during T onight with Vincent Browne. Following their contributions, the three speakers will be invited to participate in a post-budget debate.
Sinn Féin deputy leader Mary Lou McDonald described Mr Kenny’s address as “a softening-up exercise” for the terms of the budget. Despite the Taoiseach’s declaration that the Irish people were not at fault for the economic crisis, she said the Government was launching “an unprecedented attack on the Irish people”.
Dismissing the appearance as “a missed opportunity”, she said the Taoiseach gave the people no inspiration or hope that his Government has a route out of this crisis.
The chairman of the technical group of Independent and left-wing TDs, Dublin North Central TD Finian McGrath, said the aspirations in the Taoiseach’s address were contradicted by the budget measures announced today.
“I was extremely disappointed with the contents of his speech. He spoke of protecting the vulnerable but we now find that the budget is cutting services in the areas of disability and children’s welfare.”
