Some years ago the presenter of Radio Ulster's live radio programme "Talkback", David Dunseath, advertised the fact that the former Newry and Armagh Social, Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) Member of Parliament, Seamus Mallon, was to answer callers' questions the following day.
I felt that this was a good opportunity to put serious questions to Mr. Mallon about our problems with the SDLP-controlled Down District Council, but given Dunseath's attitude to my phoned-in messages that were broadcast over a period of time, I was sure that I would not get a chance to speak to Mr. Mallon. Dunseath often made unnecessary remarks after he read out many of my messages.
My wife Gemma, however, agreed to try to get on the programme and was successful.
Her first statement to Mr. Mallon was taken and both he and Dunseath agreed with what she said. She had said how important she felt communication was in the rearing of her family. She then immediately compared this to the total lack of communication in her dealings with the SDLP-controlled Down District Council.....
Dunseath and Mallon immediately recognised whose wife she was and Dunseath said they couldn't discuss that or words to that effect and Gemma never got saying another word.
Here was the mother of nine children, at the time of our initial struggle for services from Down District Council, putting a fact of living under the jurisdiction of an SDLP-controlled Council to their senior party member, and she was insulted in front of many thousands of listeners and denied airing a most legitimate concern for the safety of families living in substandard housing. Yet on this same programme, Dunseath has interviewed people from all walks of life including criminals and members of paramilitary organisations who have served jail sentences and other people of ill-repute, yet he chose to insult my wife to protect the coverup of the massive housing fraud perpetrated by the local Council in Downpatrick where his wife runs a business.
Although I had letters published in the local press about this incident, we never received an apology from Dunseath, Mallon or the BBC. I didn't even waste my time seeking one directly from any of them.