The Sinn Féin president, Mr Gerry Adams, has been banned from advertising his latest book on the radio airwaves, writes Christine Newman
Mr Adams had recorded a 20-second advertisement for his book Hope and History: Making Peace in Ireland and it was to have been broadcast on radio stations from last Friday and to continue until December 7th.
However, the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) has stepped in and banned the advertisements under legislation which prohibits advertisements considered to be for a political end.
The advertisements were scheduled to be broadcast mainly on local stations including Cork City - 96 FM, Cork County - 103 FM, Dublin 98 FM, Galway Bay FM, Northwest Radio, LM FM, Radio Kerry and Northern Sound.
In the advert, Mr Adams says: "This is Gerry Adams. My new book is called Hope and History; it's on sale in good bookshops in all 32 counties. It's the story of the effort to bring about change in this country. It's the story of the difficult and on-going struggle for peace and justice. That's Hope and History and this is Gerry Adams. Slán agus beannacht."
But the BCI decided that the advertisement was for a book written by the current leader of a political party, giving his view of events in which he and his party continued to be involved and were the subject of current political debate and that this therefore had a political dimension. The advert was also voiced by the current leader of a political party.
A spokeswoman for BCI said: "One of the local stations forwarded the presentation for the advertisement to the BCI which offered the view that it was not permissible under the Radio and Television Act, 1988.
"The Act does not permit advertisements which are considered to be for a political end."
The book's publisher, Mr Steve McDonogh of Brandon, said the book was a personal memoir of Mr Adams's involvement in the peace process.
"Banning a straightforward ad for it is a nonsense - a dangerous nonsense. The danger it points up is precisely the kind of danger that is posed by the present Government's plan to bring in a government-controlled press council," Mr McDonogh said.
A ban infringed the author's right to freedom of expression as guaranteed in the Constitution. That he was leader of a political party and the advert was voiced by him were not grounds for banning the advertisement, he said.
Radio advertisements for books by Mr Adams were also banned in 1987 and 1992 under the Broadcasting Act.