The Taoiseach’s ‘state of the nation’ speech was more a poor exercise in public relations than a worthwhile political statement, writes Paul Allen.
Enda Kenny was going to be damned if he did and damned if he didn’t. People wanted the truth, but the fact is people can’t handle the truth.
The Taoiseach’s ‘state of the nation’ address turned out to be the “this is going to hurt” pep talk a dentist might give before extracting teeth. We all knew regardless of how soft and palatable his words, the after affect was going to hurt like hell.
However, this carefully stage-managed affair suffered from one key blunder. While Enda’s tone was soft and his facial gestures gentle and compassionate, his two clenched fists placed on the desk in front of him told the truth of his internal turmoil.
The Taoiseach knew his hands were tied. That is why his speech was far from a direct, comprehensive and truthful evaluation of where the country stands given Europe’s turmoil. Instead, it was a healthy serving of clichés all-round.
“We live in exceptional times,” we were told, “and face exceptional challenges.” Later on it was the tired “difficult choices are never easy.” Thankfully we were spared “there’s light at the end of the tunnel.”
Charlie Haughey’s state of the nation address was remembered for all the wrong reasons, so Fine Gael’s handlers presumably wanted to ensure Enda’s speech did not leave such a lasting impression.
So, as is the problem with most political speeches, it was light on content and heavy on ‘stating the bleeding obvious’.
We were told that jobs are central to this budget because “work plays such an essential role in our lives.” Truly insightful stuff indeed.
But Enda went further — “Work gives us focus. Work gives us independence. Work gives our families hope and confidence.”
Now those sentences should have had black hoods thrown over them, been taken outside and then shot along with what ever clown wrote them.
There is certainly something about Enda, but it is not his charisma. By his own admission he is not a great orator, so by spurting out such drivel he tended to come across a little on the patronising side.
The production was also extremely poor from the camera angle to the lighting. Indeed, when one considers the magnificent room in which Enda was sitting and the Michael Collins painting which hangs over the fireplace, sadly the Taoiseach looked more like he was sitting in the courtroom of Judge Judy than a magnificent state office.
Even though Enda promised this was going to be a “job’s budget,” the truth of the matter is governments don’t create jobs. All governments can do is create the environment to create jobs and in fairness some of the steps briefly outlined could well go towards achieving this.
But the truth that may have been lurking between Enda’s clenched fists is that this budget is more to do with appeasing the Bundesbank rather than the people of Ireland.
The Taoiseach did make it clear that “as an island nation we cannot operate in isolation” and underlined the importance of our membership of the EU. However, he did not tackle the fact that until the catastrophe that hangs over the Euro is diverted and Europe gets its economy back on track, there is little we can do but tighten our belts and keep our fingers crossed.
Mary Lou McDonald accused Enda’s address of being merely “a softening up exercise.” This analysis is bang on. And it certainly was successful given the 1.1 million people who tuned in.
In fact, it is a pity RTE do not run repeats of Enda’s address to help prop up its Christmas schedule. This would not only help boost viewership figures, but would be very cost effective. In fact, they could intersperse it with apologies to Father Reynolds.
As I have recently discovered the people of Ireland are truly sick to the back teeth of RTE’s overpaid stars, so maybe a daily dose of Enda might make them realise you get what you pay for.
In the absence of statutory regulation for the media the investigation into how RTE defamed Father Reynolds will be a typically ‘Irish’ affair and is unlikely to see any heads roll, writes Paul Allen.
When RTE’s flag-ship current affairs show Prime Time decided to investigate child abuse in the missions it must have felt like it was shooting fish in a barrel.
Indeed, with revelations of clerical abuse making headline news for well over a decade there was seemingly little need to assume Father Reynolds was innocent until proven guilty.
After all, as Malcom X said, “The media’s the most powerful entity on earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent.”
But as we know, power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. So when the media believes it is untouchable the biggest casualty is always going to be the truth.
While the Leveson Inquiry is intent on bursting the bubble of a corrupt tabloid media in the UK, don’t expect heads to role this side of the Irish Sea for RTE’s unforgiveable abuse of its position.
The inquiry into the Father Reynolds scandal is most likely going to be a typically ‘Irish’ exercise and simply brush the dirt under the carpet.
In fact, RTE had originally saw fit to investigate this mistake internally until, due to political pressure, the government rightly decided to ask the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland to investigate.
Four years ago RTE was feeling the heat after the High Society documentary based on a book of the same name by Justine Delaney Wilson claimed the existence of a cocaine-using government minister.
This so-called documentary’ focusing on cocaine use among Ireland’s middle class turned out to be more fiction than fact.
Following an internal report, RTÉ Authority Chairperson Mary Finan admitted the station did not sufficiently exercise its editorial controls when it came to the programme. However, she claimed the shortcomings were not endemic in RTÉ.
Unbelievably, Finan proudly said that 82pc of the programme’s content was verified by RTÉ. The question is what type of editorial policy regarding highly sensitive documentaries is happy to fact check only 82pc of the content? One that grossly defames the likes of Father Reynolds is presumably the answer.
While the likes of the Daily Mail and other British tabloids have journeyed from Fleet Street to embark on a mission to lower the standards of media in Ireland, it seems the state broadcaster has also lost the run of itself.
So while €2m has already been paid out as a result of this shameful incident, expect more money to be wasted in the pointless ‘investigation’ that will ultimately lead nowhere.
We all crib and groan about toothless tribunals and endless reports that rarely result in prosecutions, but we are all to blame.
The Iona Institute recently released research on what the public believes is the rate of abuse among priests. Remarkably, 70pc overestimate it, while 42pc believe that one-in-five priests is actually an abuser. There is even 5pc that think over 90pc of priests are abusers.
That type of culture resulted in RTE making such a gross misjudgement.
Indeed, why do you think interviewing politicians has become such a prized blood sport? Because the amount of people who think all politicians are corrupt is scary.
You see Irish people love nothing more than scapegoats. We blame the British, we blame the church, we blame Bertie Ahern — we blame anyone but ourselves.
Archbishop Diarmuid Martin’s is right in his belief that there is an urgent need for a regulatory body to balance press freedom and the protection of the rights of individuals. However, he is grossly wrong to compare bishops being asked to immediately stand aside in the wake of clerical abuse reports and the slow reaction of RTE management to stand aside. The Archbishop should have kept a dignified silence and not try to draw comparisons between cases of clerical child abuse on one hand and the national broadcaster defaming someone due to poor editorial judgement on the other.
However, he is right that the only thing that can save Ireland’s media from itself and the invasion of the British tabloid is statutory regulation. Because with media hungrier than ever for readership and viewership figures they seem to have forgotten that what is of interest to the public is not always in the public’s interest.
It is that type of environment that has created low standards in RTE. But sadly, just like governments, people get the media they deserve.
Paul Allen is Managing Director of Paul Allen and Associates PR, www.prireland.com.
Irish people need to stop sitting and whinging on the sidelines if they truly want to affect change, writes Paul Allen.
The days of Occupy Dame Street appear to be numbered. The Central Bank has finally had enough of the squatters camping on its doorstep and is rumoured to be seeking a Court Order to put an end to the protest.
The camp has been in situ for six weeks now and the only thing it has achieved is to show how lacking in ideas the movement has been.
It has no alternative plan, no suggestions nor indeed any tangible ideas of note.
This “leaderless resistance movement” if anything has only highlighted how the angst of a nation cannot be harnessed by sitting in a tent.
If people want change then they need to join together, formulate ideas and use the system to affect that change. The problem, however, is it is a lot easier to set up camp and moan from the sidelines.
Senator David Norris was the only Presidential candidate to visit the protestors. He was met with naive idealists who shouted garbage rather than put across coherent ideas, such as possible alternatives to the IMF and EU.
As proceedings drifted into complete farce the Senator asked if there was anyone in charge to help direct dialogue. “There is no one in charge, we are all individuals!” came the seemingly well-rehearsed response. Individuals indeed.
Another asked the Senator, “Are you a sovereign man?” What the hell did this mean? We asked and nobody replied.
Like it or not we live in a democracy. So when we complain that the Government is raising VAT, slashing social welfare or reducing child benefit, it is not good enough to mutter into your pint or set up a tent outside the Central Bank.
If people don’t like what they see, they need to come up with viable alternatives. They need to put their principles on the line. Just like Luke “Ming” Flanagan has done. He is hardly a political insider, but has shown if you have determination and the support of your community you can get elected and try to make change.
While the Dublin 4 brigade scoff and chuckle at Ming as he cries, “blessed are the turf cutters”, at least he is pushing for change for his community.
Sadly, Irish people seem to prefer wallowing in despair and pointing the finger.
Indeed, while they are the very ones who voted in this new Government, they are seemingly amazed at the proposed toughness of the forthcoming budget.
There was a great quote from Monday morning’s breakfast programme on Newstalk, when presenter Ivan Yates bellowed, “This shower are as bad as the last Government!”
But when voters replaced one establishment centre-right political party for another establishment centre-right political party, what did they expect?
To hear Ivan Yates say on Newstalk that he was shocked that the new Government appears to be no different than the last one is somewhat disingenuous. As a former Fine Gael cabinet minister, Mr Yates would be only too aware that once Civil War politics is taken out of the argument few could credibly argue substantial policy differences between FF and FG when it comes to economics.
Labour too, in its collation with FG, has woken up to the necessity of tough measures to ensure we have an economy worth fighting for in the coming years.
At present people seem anti everything, but most of all they are anti-reality. Ireland is experiencing one of its toughest challenges and the fact is those that can do and those that can’t sit in a tent.
It is time for Irish people to grow up. As Mary Robinson said, “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new beginning.”
But those on Dame Street might be starting to realise this cannot be achieved from inside a tent.
Paul Allen is Managing Director of Paul Allen and Associates PR, www.prireland.com