Previous Message

DEMONISING RONAN.

My comments about Ronan and his business methods, seem to have created a response frenzy or maybe more a sh-t storm on the other place.

It has been mentioned, and I quite agree, that whatever is said and whoever is right or wrong makes bugger all difference to the present or the future.

But to give true examples of how Ronan behaved is not to demonise the man, unless you are a person who has an image of him that is false but will not be altered by facts.

The strange Mervyn Hagger hates O'Rahilly simply because the myth that built up around him and which he was quite happy to reinforce, may be far removed from the truth.

I have never said that I hate or dislike Ronan aside from moments when he behaved so badly towards me that the red mist temporarily came down.

As a further example, engineer Ernie Stevenson was owed a substantial amount in back wages and would not return to the ship until he was paid. Ronan wanted him on the ship but by the same token did not want to pay him. Getting the man to the ship was top priority so how could this be achieved ?

The plot was to say to me that if Ernie visited my home would I pay his back wages in cash when I would be reimbursed by a cheque. I did this.
Ronan's right hand man Mike Plumley indeed was sent across with a cheque.
After the weekend i.e. when banks opened, Plumley called me saying ' that cheque OK ? don't bank it as it will only be returned. The bank account no longer exists, the cheque is worthless '.

Once again Ronan had won the game. Ernie was on board it had cost Ronan nothing and I was down a lot of money.

People may say ' more fool you ' which I will accept but I will not accept ' oh he would never do that ' as that is how Ronan went through life.

There are many things that Neil Gates, who is the main protagonist, could rightfully accuse me of, mostly that after the raid I found it ever more difficult to find and pay for fuel, food and water and pay for tenders. As a result, conditions on the ship became ever more unsatisfactory and dangerous. It will not have been lost on Neil that while he and his colleagues were suffering, I was relatively comfortable on land. I let them live in extreme danger but when I said to Ronan to bring the ship in voluntarily to avoid tragedy he refused to agree.

' Keep the ship at sea at all costs ' was his order and five people only just escaped with their lives.

So the above accusations are valid. I accept them.

But as for Neils mantra :

Caroline was in profit until the day it went off air. Nonsense.
I withheld fuel to force the ship off air. Nonsense.
I was from the outset plotting to steal Radio Caroline. Nonsense.

When Caroline was of no financial use to Ronan he lost interest in it and was of course happy that we recovered the ship, paid the costs and made token broadcasts with insignificant impact.

Concerning his approach to Tony Prince in 1997, If Ronan had a workable plan to return to sea ( which I doubt ) and if Tony had invested ( which he did not ) I have no illsion that I Would have been cast adrift as having no further usefulness.

But unlike Neil I am not eating myself up with dark resentment. Nobody forced me to do that which I did.

Maybe we can move on now ?

PM.