Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Signatories to the letter included the Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation. Many people feel the party's behaviour in that respect, and that co-ordinated behaviour, is one that is suppressing the media.

Irrespective of who is in government in the future, it is a legitimate question. It sounds great that we will pay all the bills and have full Exchequer funding, but it means any government in the future has a control over Irish media I am clear would not be a healthy one. Even if it was just about the allocation of resources with health, social protection, housing or whatever coming first, in the normal Estimates cycle where pressures come on for various expenditures - and there are finite resources no matter how well the economy is doing - there is always the potential for any government to put the pressure on, squeeze, reduce the funding or use the leverage with a view to controlling the message.

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