It’s an indication of how fiery the general election coverage has become on the airwaves that Matt Cooper practically yawns in excitement as he surveys the campaign to date. “It really hasn’t caught alight, has it?” the presenter observes on The Last Word (Today FM, weekdays), as he looks back on the first week of electioneering.
“I think we can safely say the nation has released a long breath and is bored already,” replies his guest, Prof Gary Murphy of DCU. Candid though this verdict may be, it’s hardly the cue for wavering listeners to stay tuned for the next fortnight, particularly given that the calm and careful Cooper isn’t naturally inclined towards creating on-air fireworks.
Still, he gives it go. The host chucklingly compares Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael to a bickering married couple, à la John and Mary on Father Ted, while looking to exacerbate tensions between the various Government parties. On Tuesday he hosts a debate on environmental policies between Green Party Minister of State Ossian Smyth and Fianna Fáil Senator Fiona O’Loughlin. “You might wonder why we’ve put two Coalition partners together for this debate,” Cooper says, with a hint of mischievous anticipation.
His expectation initially seems justified. Smyth mocks Fianna Fáil’s environmental promises as a copy (though presumably not a carbon one) of his own party’s programme. “It’s astonishing to hear such newfound enthusiasm from a party which had to be dragged kicking and screaming on so many environmental issues,” the Minister says, before declaring himself “really happy”, as it underlines how the other Coalition parties have come round to Green policies. “Would you not have been better off getting them into place while you were in government?” the host shoots back, undercutting the point-scoring with quiet lethality.
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But that’s as snarky as it gets. While Smyth and O’Loughlin quibble, they’re disappointingly civil to each other. There’s more edge during Monday’s set-to on housing between Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe and Sinn Féin TD Eoin Ó Broin, with the latter accusing his Fine Gael opponent of “sidestepping” questions, before snippily complaining about being interrupted when the Minister cuts across him to rebut the charge. But while there’s deep disagreement between the two politicians, the conversation is heavier on substance – much data is cited – than slagging.
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If this undercard fails to provide the requisite political punch-ups, hopes for pugilistic displays are higher when Fine Gael TD Colm Brophy debates Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín on the hitherto dependably charged subject of immigration. The host starts by asking Brophy if his party’s plan for charter flights to deport failed asylum applications is a stunt, but the Government deputy doesn’t take the bait. Instead, he talks vaguely about developing a “firm, fair and effective” immigration system while trumpeting increased numbers of deportees, an indication of hardening stances.
It’s not hard enough for Tóibín, however, who says that only 5 per cent of deportation orders are enforced, while raising the familiar criticism about lack of official communication with communities on refugee accommodation. Soon, both guests are clashing: Brophy accuses the Aontú deputy of whipping up hysteria, while Tóibín decries his opposite number as “intellectually lazy”.
As the exchanges grow more heated, Cooper has to adopt his most headmasterly tenor and remind his guests – neither of whom is in the studio – that listeners can’t hear them while they’re talking over each other. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing: such a contretemps may inject needle into the lacklustre campaign bemoaned by Cooper but it’s disheartening that immigration raises tempers more readily than other issues. Maybe a boring campaign isn’t so bad after all.
The topic of immigration also crops up on The Pat Kenny Show (Newstalk, weekdays), though the discussion is conducted in more congenial fashion. Indeed, as columnist and Iona Institute chief executive David Quinn expounds on what he characterises as the downsides of immigration, a slightly less collegiate atmosphere might be welcome. Quinn is talking to Kenny about the potential support a Donald Trump-like figure might attract in Ireland, particularly if they were “addressing voter concerns that those voters believed other parties weren’t properly addressing”, an ominously ambivalent phrase that sets off the inner klaxons.
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Quinn says he’s not a fan of the “obnoxious” US president-elect, but with a dispiriting inevitability, he homes in on immigration as he muses on his hypothetical Irish Trump. “People look at regular politicians and say you’re not coming clean with us, like what is the effect of high immigration on housing, for example,” Quinn says. “That’s not being spoken about in this election, and I wonder if people look at politicians and say, you’re not being honest with us.” His speculative language notwithstanding, Quinn implicitly accuses Irish politicians of dishonesty on immigration.
When Kenny points out that migrant workers perform jobs that native-born citizens are unwilling to do, Quinn points to studies apparently showing that low-skilled immigrants end up costing economies more than they contribute.
“This is the kind of mature debate we need to be having,” he adds, harking back to Australia’s previously restrictive immigration laws as an example of how to control inward migration. (It’s worth noting this was dubbed the “White Australia policy”). Quinn frames all this as a common-sense position thwarted by a timid political class, but despite his butter-wouldn’t-melt manner, his argument also places immigrants in the firing line of electoral discontent.
Kenny doesn’t sound entirely convinced by his guest, pushing back occasionally, but doesn’t apply the full force of the rigorous scrutiny he can bring to other issues. That said, the host provides a more positive picture of immigration when he speaks to Edgar Flores, who originally came to Ireland from Guatemala seeking asylum with his family, and who now works as a family support worker in Clones.
Flores describes the bewilderment of newly arrived refugees, and explains how he tries to help them access services. He knows the challenges around immigration, noting community integration is crucial, while Kenny, in his cack-handedly benign way, points out an obvious but overlooked fact: “Immigrants have all the normal problems.” Above all, Flores highlights a vital truth about refugees: “When the people come here, they feel safe.” In any debate on immigration, it’s worth remembering this basic human right.
Moment of the Week
On Tuesday, Sean Moncrieff (Newstalk, weekdays) hears of an intriguing election promise from Green Minister of State Ossian Smyth, a seemingly ubiquitous radio presence during the week. (See above.) Smyth seeks to encourage people not to throw out faulty white goods by providing a half-price voucher for anyone getting appliances repaired. As he outlines the idea, Smyth recalls buying his mother a birthday present of a component for a faulty kitchen appliance when he was a teenager. Moncrieff listens intently, before thanking his guest, “who as you heard, if he doesn’t get re-elected, might be able to fix your washing machine”. Ouch.
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