Another 'obstinate refusal' by Laois councillors to live stream council meetings

A Laois councillor has not taken no for answer to live streaming of Laois County Council meetings, but has been turned down again by colleagues for the second time in as many months.

Former Fine Gael Cllr Aisling Moran had to get a special boost from six other councillors to table her altered motion, at the October Laois County Council meeting.

This is because standing orders say a motion cannot be tabled twice within six months, if it got voted down.

In September, her motion asked the council to introduce live streaming, "in the interests of transparency" and it was defeated by nine votes to five.

In October, her new motion asked for a letter to be sent to the Minister for Housing Darragh O'Brien asking him to make live streaming mandatory in all local authorities and to fund it.

"It's a completely different motion," she claimed.

"iT'S 90% effectively the same motion, except for who you write to. The only way to get a similar motion back on is with the backing of six members, based on that we allowed it back on," the Cathaoirleach Cllr Padraig Fleming told her.

Cllr Moran stated her reasons for her motion.

"The technology is there. This obstinate refusal to live stream public meetings is an obstacle to public access and undermines the basic tenets of transparancy and accountability in local governance. We can live stream funerals and football matches yet here we cannot live stream our monthly meetings. It would be a positive move for the council, generating more public awareness of our activities and debates.

"What are we afraid of? The government is dishing out money like confetti at a 1970s wedding. We can certainly afford to live stream our meetings," Cllr Moran said.

She was seconded by Cllr Marie Tuohy.

"It's 20 years since Fingal introduced this. Imagine how technology has advanced since. Transparancy and accountability are not dirty words. There's no accusation implied. We all aspire to them. It would be a resource for archives and opens access, not everybody can attend in person. I can't understand any resistance," she said.

Cllr Paddy Bracken said the motion was rejected, a committee was set up to consider it but wasn't happy to go ahead.

"The thing that bugs me every time I hear it is 'transparancy' implying there's something wrong. Every second word is transparancy. I'm over 37 years involved in local politics and I've never seen anything wrong or untoward. I'm not afraid of anyone. What protection has a public rep in the chamber if they say something and it's live streamed? We haven't Dáil privilege. Things were said in the chamber over the years but thanks to the media and their fair coverage, they never covered that aspect," he said.

Cllr Moran still got the same answer, with 12 councillors all from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael saying no to the motion, against seven including Cllr Moran saying yes.

"It's a sad day for local politics," she declared.