Channel 4’s dangerous game

MANY of us will have hoped that balaclava-wearing IRA members being interviewed on TV news programmes was a sight consigned to the dustbin of history. Not so fast. Channel 4 News gave airtime to a New IRA member on Wednesday, as he threatened violence from the depths of his dirty kitchen. Against a scary backdrop of draining crockery, yer man was wearing a stocking under his balaclava, perhaps mindful of technical advances such as high-definition broadcasting since the old paramilitary heyday. Or maybe he had a kink? Perhaps he was just cold. The point is, was it irresponsible of Channel 4 to show pictures of this goon as an actor voiced his threats that any post-Brexit, Northern Ireland customs points would be seen as a legitimate threat? Indisputably, yes. Giving a platform to a masked dissident uttering vague nonsense shows just how desperate the anti-Brexit Channel 4 has become. Not to mention the New IRA themselves.