Bruton mugged by Biffo on RTE

RTE radio’s lunchtime news featured a “debate” between Finance Minister Brian Cowen and FG Finance spokesman Richard Bruton. You could hardly find two men of more contrasting physical stature or personality.

Biffo was in the RTE studio with Sean O’Rourke, Richard Bruton was somewhere out of sight, elsewhere in Dublin. Biffo launched into a withering attack on the FG & Labour election manifestoes, claiming that they hadn’t been properly costed and couldn’t be delivered. It was a very aggressive rant directed at the mild-mannered Bruton, who was clearly at a disadvantage by not being in the studio.

Added to this was the fact that an almost silent Sean O'Rourke allowed Biffo to "chair" the debate, thus giving him added advantages he hardly needed, as he’s much louder and more aggressive than Bruton.

Sean O’Rourke and RTE failed dismally to provide a level playing pitch for this political debate.

Biffo will clearly be FFs main attack dog in the coming week and Fine Gael should learn the lesson and simply refuse to debate in this format again.