It could be described as stand-up economics. Rip-off Republic's devastating combination of polemic, a few facts and a comedy cellar format of single performer (Eddie Hobbs) with live audience, has created a television show which could turn out to be as big a headache for RTÉ as for the Government.
Taking each of these elements singly, they all have their own set of ground rules. Polemical programming, while rare on RTÉ, is clearly presented as such and invariably balanced by an opposing view.
RTÉ's factual programming, particularly in the news-current affairs area, is rigorously presented to a universally acclaimed high standard. Once again, scrupulous attention is paid to the matter of balance.
Comedy and satire, on the other hand, are almost by definition not subject to the same rigours, aside perhaps from the desirability that there be no sacred cows. Indeed, to impose on satirical programmes a current affairs concept of balance would be to kill them stone dead.
There is no doubt that it is the satirical element of Rip-off Republic that has made it such a stunning success. The savage lampooning of Fianna Fáil Ministers, principally Martin Cullen, on last Monday's programme was delicious to watch. To be able to transform something as dry as vehicle registration tax into a source of huge enjoyment is a remarkable achievement.
However, as each of Eddie Hobbs's programmes has unfolded, a highly political agenda has emerged. Although his barbs are aimed, largely for entertainment purposes, at individual Ministers, his primary target is Government in general and taxation in particular.
His programmes do not to any great extent examine the practices of private business in ripping people off. His main message is that rip-off Ireland is the fault of Government through its taxation policies.
The level of direct taxation (ie, income tax) in this country is now one of the lowest in Europe. So no good rip-off material there. Hobbs instead conveniently focuses on indirect taxation, on VAT, VRT, car tax and so forth. More money from these sneaky stealth taxes is flowing into Government coffers than ever before, we're told. And so, we're being ripped off.
However, what is missing from Hobbs's argument is that this increase in Government income from indirect taxation is primarily the result of extra spending. Although he places much emphasis on the amount of tax paid by motorists, echoing the view of the Society of the Irish Motor Industry, he does not mention that more and more of us are now buying bigger cars, which burn more fuel. As tax on cars and petrol is based on a percentage of cost, it is evident that the more we choose to spend on these items, the greater will be the Government's income from them.
Also absent from the Rip-off Republic view is that this taxation income for Government has a purpose. It is not just some sort of devious scam. It provides society with the vital necessities - schools, hospitals, roads, water and sewage.
One can certainly criticise the effectiveness of Government spending in these areas. But to suggest that taxation is a rip-off, and that the money should be left instead in our own pockets is certainly a proposition which deserves to be challenged.
However, challenge, debate or argument is not part of the format for Rip-off Republic. It is a one-man show which brooks no opposition. And therein lies the problem for RTÉ.
As a public service broadcaster, RTÉ has a statutory obligation to provide balance. So far in this programme it has not done so. It may well have been taken by surprise by the extraordinary success of the series - over three quarters of a million people watched last Monday's instalment. But that is still no excuse for such a glaring omission.
It may be instructive to look at the origins of the programme. Made by an independent company, it is an example of public-private partnership as applied to RTÉ. It was commissioned not by the factual or current affairs departments, but by the section that deals with the softer areas of lifestyle and day-time programming.
Its format, the stand-up routine before an audience, makes it difficult to alter the content once it is recorded. Finally, its scheduling during August, traditionally the lowest month of the year for audience ratings, may have led to a feeling that its impact would have been relatively minor.
Thus far, Government Ministers, so effectively ridiculed by Mr Hobbs, have remained relatively silent. Perhaps a wise course in the light of Fianna Fáil TD Donie Cassidy's intervention. His attack on the series only served to fuel its audience, which has increased over the run by a massive quarter of a million viewers.
It is clear that Rip-off Republic has struck a resounding chord with the public. It may well be giving us all what we want - easy targets at which to howl and hurl rotten fruit. However, RTÉ has a much broader responsibility than just providing us with bread and circuses. It needs to address this as a matter of urgency.