Dr. Roderick Flynn:

Okay, that was the criteria. Then when we actually come to the process of the specific individuals, how do I find out what went on? For example, why was one person allocated to a position over the other 52 candidates? Here is the thing, which is sometimes forgotten about with regard to the people who are appointed to PSM boards, de factothe people who are appointed to the boards such as TG4 and RTÉ historically have ended up sort of becoming defenders of those institutions. That is the polar opposite of what they are meant to be. They are meant to defend the public interest, in a way, against the threat that those institutions might step out of line. I am really interested to know what kinds of criteria those individuals who are appointed to the boards might bring to bear in those kinds of conversations. I do not have any way of knowing how that would work or what they might think. I do not really know now. I could Google the individuals, and I have done that, but it still does not tell me very much about what I might expect to hear from them about, for example, protecting the public interest in the relatively unlikely situation that RTÉ or TG4 just goes off the wall and starts acting in a way that is manifestly contrary to the public interest.

In some respects I am in heated agreement with the Senator about, for example, the regulator having teeth. I am absolutely on board with this. I also do accept that there is a process. I just believe that the process is not very transparent actually, and not public. Saying that these are the criteria we will be seeking does not tell me what these particular individuals bring.