Dump those socks and sandals - but don't throw in the towel

RADIO REVIEW:IT'S NOT that he left his job when he did, it's the way that he did it. He holds the goodwill of the nation in the palm of his hand, can talk for Ireland, and has a firm grasp of his subject, but I'm still undecided about Tom Dunne(Newstalk 106-108, weekdays).

When he moved from Today FM to Newstalk in August 2008, the press release read: "Tom Dunne is no stranger to mid-morning talk radio, having presented The Ray D'Arcy Show." He guest-hosted that show, then weeks later the little rascal went into competition with it.

On Wednesday, Dunne said he bumped into Dustin the Turkey on the street. Dunne was wearing socks and open-toed sandals. Dustin later Tweeted: “Tom Dunne looked like an old Hot House Flower fallen on hard times.” He does have a bit of the Radio Novas about him.

Dunne chatted about his sandals, his wife, his sandals, The Smiths, and his sandals again. He was still talking about those fecking sandals on Thursday. He is a lovely man, cheerful, cute as a button, happy as Larry Gogan, but he is endlessly fascinated with himself. In fairness to him, he does get up at the crack of dawn and does this day after day and, 18 months later, unlike some people, he doesn’t give up. But he can’t be expected to do it alone. Even Gerry Ryan has help. What Dunne needs now is a good sidekick.

A taxi driver on Wednesday had Tom Dunne on the radio. “I find him very relaxing,” he told me. “It’s like he’s just sitting in his living room having a cup of tea.” Therein lies his greatest gift – and his biggest problem. There’s only so much of that one can take.

Dunne did give his thr’pence-worth on the story of the week. He said George Lee was a “superstar . . . in his own head,” adding, “The tone of RTÉ shows is to welcome him back to the fold as if the big world didn’t suit him.” In fact, the opposite was true.

Lee told Monday's News At One(RTÉ One, weekdays) of his untimely exit from Dáil Eireann and his role or lack thereof in forming Fine Gael's economic policy: "I've had virtually no influence, no input whatsoever . . . They came looking for me, I didn't go looking for them." Last year, Seán O'Rourke wondered whether Lee had a thick enough skin for politics. This week, O'Rourke got his answer and suggested the backbench drudgery was too much for him.

On Liveline(RTÉ One, weekdays), Joe Duffy asked, "Did you not resign from Fine Gael because you didn't get power on the front bench?" Lee replied, sounding hurt, "You don't need to be on the front bench to have influence." The first rule when getting a new job: know what you will be doing before you get there.

Fine Gael branch member Margaret Price told Lee, "I canvassed for you. I voted for you." Lee replied, "That doesn't mean that you own me." It was a fair, but ultimately revealing, comment. After all, is that not why politicians are called public servants? Price and Lee both scored points: 27,000 people voted for him and, of the 16,000 calls to a Livelinepoll, 83 per cent supported him. However, one could also argue that Livelineattracts an anti-establishment, politically-jaded audience to begin with.

Lee said he wasn’t concerned with the kind of issues one would put in a “newsletter”. That kind of lowly political grassroots work was not for him. “I went to fix the economy,” he said, as if it was a car engine that needed oiling and a new fan belt.

Enda Kenny has his own problems. Fine Gael's director of elections, Frank Flannery, told The Breakfast Show(Newstalk, weekdays), "I'd be surprised if Enda wasn't just a little bit angry." This didn't help. Kenny got a few digs in on Lunchtime(Newstalk, weekdays). He advised Lee post-election "about coming down from the emotional highs". The word "ego" hung silently in the airwaves. He added, "Politics is a rough business, it's not suitable for everybody." Eamon Keane said Kenny didn't seem capable of thinking on his feet during media interviews. Kenny vowed to be better prepared: "Didn't I hear President Obama say he messed up and apologise?" By taking cues from Obama, he gave himself even less status.

Then, in yet another bizarre and widely-quoted statement that may both exasperate his colleagues and put the fear of God up them, Kenny made a solemn promise: “From now on I’m going to be myself.” I could almost hear Fianna Fáil’s champagne corks popping.