The smart way to win the Irish-language debate: talk English

PRESENT TENSE:IT'S A SHAME that Enda Kenny, Micheál Martin and Eamon Gilmore are all fluent Irish speakers.

It would have added so much to Wednesday night’s leaders’ debate on TG4 if at least one of them struggled with Irish in the way that most of the country does, if one of them was constantly exposed to the threat of linguistic humiliation; of not understanding a word, a question or a retort; of freezing and jabbering while his mind makes a panicked search for the right word; of just using an English word but with an “í” thrown in at the end.

Bertie Ahern might have offered that (he wasn’t a fluent speaker of Irish or any language), but these guys won’t. Instead they’ll show up, debate and leave with less exposure and fuss than there has been about the rest of the proposed and actual television debates. TG4 invited them and it would have been culturally, as well as politically, problematic to have declined.

They possibly assume that much of the country will tune in for a few minutes, nod in approval, read a few of the subtitles and flick to another channel. That viewers won’t know what was said but find it comforting that the leaders seem to be able to say it in Irish all the same. The TG4 debate will be a rare occasion in which politicians will gain kudos even when most of the electorate hasn’t a clue what they’re saying.

Actually, a smart campaign manager in either party could spot an opportunity here for a leader who might turn up and fail horribly, excruciatingly, publicly. Then we would have a man who were truly one with the people.

It will have been the second leaders’ debate in three days. In all there will have been four televised debates in just 14 days. There were two in 2007: one featuring Kenny and Ahern, a second with the other party leaders. You could argue that the main debate was significant and that the swing back towards Fianna Fáil pivoted on that night. You could also argue that that would be a reason against having more, but there you go.

In this most crucial election, during the worst crisis since the Civil War, it is remarkable how much of the conversation has focused on the TV debates: who would have them, who should be there, who won’t be there and why. Martin injected the “debate debate” into the campaign on becoming leader, but he can’t have foreseen just how much it would rumble on.

Perhaps it’s because this is the closest thing to a spark in a damp campaign. It offers the chance for drama, even though each is coached and prepared so as to avoid just that. For the TV3 debate the leaders were given the headline topics in advance, had negotiated their seating positions, knew that Browne would be pretty much mute.

It was dutifully balanced, each leader’s contribution totalling about 24 minutes, but it was dull. Television debates usually are. Anticipation rarely ends in satisfaction. There is a reason why “he won on points but landed no knockout blows” is a cliche of debate reporting across the western world.

But the debate hasn't been just about the politicians; it has also been about the power play between TV stations. TV3's taking of the initiative was a show of its increasing confidence and aggression. In grabbing the debate, and putting even a muzzled Browne bear in there, then running it across the Nine O'Clock News,it was beating its chest at the silverback that is RTÉ.

In response RTÉ needed to arrange two debates – Monday’s five-way and a three-way a week later – in order to reassert its position as the leading broadcaster. In the meantime Sky even angled for one, in conjunction with TV3, despite its being a foreign broadcaster that would probably drop it mid-debate to go to a car chase in Florida.

Next time around, they might as well stick one on 3e, although in keeping with the channel’s content it would be more likely to just take an old US presidential debate and repeat it twice a day.

As it is, this election has seen a free-for-all among the broadcasters, leading to increasing numbers of participants going in ever-decreasing circles. You get the sense that the topics the leaders cribbed for on Tuesday night will be the same ones they’ll crib for on Monday and Wednesday and the following Tuesday. And that the main interest this week will be in Enda Kenny’s performance, and whether he remains the Prince of politicians: decent live, but not so good when recorded.