Irish happiness, and other delusions

RADIO REVIEW:THE ABILITY TO GET into a lather about newspaper stories is an obligatory part of every radio host's armoury, but presenters' individual bugbears can still be revealing. Last week, for instance, Tom Dunne (Newstalk, weekdays) was perplexed by the results of a United Nations survey that ranked us as one of the happiest countries in the world. Dunne expressed his puzzlement at the statistic that, despite all the gloom, more Irish people said they had felt happy the previous day than any other nationality:

“I wonder who did they get in touch with for this bit of research.” Dunne thus proved that he pays no heed to the ancient Greek wisdom to know thyself: he is the most jovial presenter on the airwaves, a daily aural reminder of our apparently inherent good humour. In fairness, he later made the unsurprising admission that he had indeed smiled and laughed a lot the day before.

If Dunne’s demeanour appeared as upbeat as ever, his subject matter was more earnest than usual, with much of Tuesday and Wednesday’s shows devoted to the country’s intractable drug problem. The hook was a worthy but slightly plodding report by Brian Carroll on the heroin addicts who frequent central-Dublin methadone clinics and the consequent repercussions for business, tourism and society.

The interviews with addicts and activists that followed over the next two days were by turns grim and compassionate; a tone of dutiful worthiness hung over the proceedings. Dunne’s interest was sincere, however. He even made a rare foray on to the soapbox. “I think the drugs should be decriminalised,” he said. “To say the drugs war is lost is so patently obvious it beggars belief.” Typically, his sermon was delivered in a tone of jaunty bemusement rather than the spluttering apoplexy or agonised hand-wringing that normally accompanies such discussions.

But Dunne admitted to being glum on one occasion. He was “very sad” at the prospect of no longer bantering with Ivan Yates, who last week finished as cohost of Newstalk Breakfast (weekdays). If Yates himself was emotional about leaving the berth he has held with such imperiousness for three years, the former Fine Gael minister betrayed little sign of it.

When he did refer to his impending departure, it was to buff his vocal opinions. On Monday, as he surveyed the newspaper furore about Government Ministers’ contact with the businessman Denis O’Brien, Yates sounded a dismissive note. The presenter said that because O’Brien controls many media interests – including, Yates added, Newstalk – many people in the industry had a “hidden agenda” to do him down.

When listeners berated Yates on the predictability of this editorial line, he was indignant. “Lads, listen up,” he said. “I’m leaving on Friday, and I can tell you, hand on heart, that in three years never once has Denis O’Brien spoken to me about any programme or its content.”

Throughout the week, Yates acted as he always has. He spouted bluff positions in the guise of common sense – RTÉ was particularly lashed over the Fr Kevin Reynolds debacle – while using his maverick-insider persona to stir up interviews, asking Minister of State Joe Costello if he would back Joan Burton in a (totally hypothetical) heave against the Labour leader, Eamon Gilmore.

What sentiment there was came from his copresenter Chris Donoghue, with whom Yates has enjoyed a joshing bromance. “You can berate Ivan until Friday,” said Donoghue, sounding a wistful note. “After that it won’t be so easy.”

But Yates did not totally deny his personal feelings. Given he is leaving Newstalk to manage the debts caused by the collapse of his firm, Celtic Bookmakers, news of the closure of the Dublin electronics chain Peats struck a chord. “I’ve been through this process,” he said. “You reach a point where you’re putting good money after bad so you accept defeat. So it’s very sad.” Yates didn’t dwell on the matter, but his hurt was obvious.

Yates’s experience may be all too common these days, but, as George Lee reminded us on The Business (RTÉ Radio 1, Saturday), such high-profile failures are hardly new. Lee revisited one of the most famous episodes in Irish business, the stunning rise and even more spectacular collapse of Guinness Peat Aviation (GPA), the aircraft-leasing firm run by the late Tony Ryan. Speaking to former GPA executives, Lee heard how the company controlled and shaped an industry largely by dint of Ryan’s drive and ambition, only for it to implode through financial overreach.

Despite this, an adulatory portrait of Ryan emerged. Aided by some softball questioning about Ryan’s leadership abilities, Lee’s interviewees attested to the charisma of their one-time boss. Even his domineering style was seen as a sign of strength, with GPA’s ex-vice president Jim King comparing him to the Apple founder Steve Jobs. Thus was a salutary tale of disaster spun into a more triumphant parable. Maybe the Irish are naturally happy, but there’s a thin line between positivity and delusion.

Radio moment of the week

Currently the best drivetime host on air, Matt Cooper had a striking exchange with the Nama boss Frank Daly on The Last Word (Today FM, weekdays).

Cooper asked why a body charged with cleaning up after a property bubble caused by profligate banking practices can employ people who worked with some of the worst-offending banks and developers. "Where will we get people with property expertise, with financial expertise, with banking expertise?" responded Daly. "You have to get them from the sectors where they develop their skills." The fact that this expertise helped get us into the mess to begin with was, presumably, a piffling irrelevance.