Kiberd causes a stir but lowers his stock

RADIO REVIEW:IN A WEEK dominated by grim fiscal predictions, it was surprising to hear stocks being proposed as a potential national panacea in some quarters. If catchphrases such as "pension raid", "capital expenditure cut" and, yep, "burning the bondholders" have taught us anything, it is that market confidence in Ireland is, to use the parlance, bearish.

The stocks in question were not financial products, however: they were the long-gone shackling devices of medieval lore, invoked by Damien Kiberd on Lunchtime(Newstalk, weekdays) as he listened to Laois county councillor John Bonham's suggestion that "stripping and whipping" was the way to stop violent crime in Ireland.

The Fine Gael politician was speaking in the aftermath of the kidnapping and armed robbery of a 50-year-old woman in his locality: such events were daily occurrences around the country, Bonham said, but if there was a strong deterrent, they would not happen. He cited Saudi Arabia’s penchant for cutting off the arms of robbers as an example of robust retribution that scared offenders. He wasn’t proposing such extreme measures here, but people seemed to feel safe in the Middle Eastern kingdom, he said. It seemed odd for a democratically elected councillor to draw lessons from an absolute monarchy with scant regard for human rights, but there you go.

At any rate, Bonham felt the element of public humiliation was as important as any physical flogging to redress the “five-star” conditions of jails such as Portlaoise Prison.

When Kiberd asked if his guest was advocating the return of stocks, he was nonplussed. “What do you mean?” Bonham asked, before the device was helpfully explained to him. Kiberd maintained an air of wry detachment throughout but was still indulgent towards his guest. He allowed Bonham to fulminate against “bad guys” getting lawyers, an outrage better known to some as due process. Kiberd mused, “Politically correct people will be on to you,” a lazily provocative assertion that got some listeners hot under the collar.

The trouble with stirring up such a controversy-on-a-string is that it devalues the rest of Kiberd's show. As with much of Newstalk's output, Lunchtimedifferentiates itself from its better-resourced news rivals on RTÉ with a spikier, more informal approach. This instinct for irritation can work well. Later on Wednesday's show, Kiberd discussed Ireland's obesity problem with Prof Donal O'Shea, expanding on a more pointed item with the journalist Kevin Myers on the same subject some weeks earlier.

In a perceptive segment, O’Shea apportioned blame for the fat epidemic on bad family habits and social changes, while calling for more personal responsibility. It was a good example of editorialising tempered by analysis. Bonham’s contribution, on the other hand, appealed to baser instincts, as subsequent listener texts excoriating bleeding hearts suggested. Kiberd’s style, populist but intelligent, is demeaned by such pantomime posturing.

A more measured attitude to crime and punishment came from John Lonergan, former governor of Mountjoy Prison, when he spoke to Tom Dunne(Newstalk, weekdays) on Wednesday. There were, he said, two ways of running a jail: either very autocratic or the "more human approach" favoured by Lonergan. He compared his method to parenting. In fact, the one-time prison official was on the show to talk about the latter subject rather than his past career, but the segment highlighted his humane philosophy in general.

Lonergan talked about not imposing unrealistic demands on children but “accepting their reality”. He spoke of parents stepping back to allow teenagers more independence and to instil a sense of personal accountability. This was no touchy-feely ethos but something more grown-up and grounded. “Parents must say to their children that you have choices,” Lonergan said. “And if you take drugs, you take responsibility for that.” His message was tempered by a wider realism: the most vulnerable children, the ones who often ended up in prison, came from vulnerable families.

At first glance, Dunne’s show seems an unusual forum for such items. The presenter’s jocular enthusiasm – “fantastic” is his favourite adjective – is underpinned by an unabashed affection for pop culture. The palpable bond he struck up during his good-natured interview with the music-loving comedian Phill Jupitus was a case in point.

But as his constant references to his wife and young children make clear, Dunne is consumed by the practicalities and absurdities of family life: his interest in Lonergan’s views was genuine rather than dutiful. Dunne’s idiosyncratic smorgasbord of personal concerns occasionally wears thin – those bored by Premier League soccer may find the show has its longueurs – but when he provides a platform for thoughtful figures such as Lonergan, he shows there is more to him than entertaining froth.

This is no bad thing, given Newstalk recently had to pay more than €400,000 to Mary Harney for a libellous statement made by Nell McCafferty on Dunne’s show. Contentiousness may make for momentarily diverting radio, but it can come with a price. For a show’s stock to rise it needs more than hot air.

Radio moment of the week

For anyone who sees the arts sector as a magic bullet that will revive Ireland's sense of purpose, the actor Brian F O'Byrne told a sobering tale on Today with Pat Kenny (RTÉ Radio 1, weekdays). O'Byrne had arranged an offbeat festival in his native Mullagh, Co Cavan, in which the likes of Cillian Murphy, Saoirse Ronan and Martin McDonagh spoke to local audiences about why they had been drawn to the arts. "I thought if you brought these people to the locality everyone would want to come immediately," he said, "and that didn't completely happen." Many people, O'Byrne said, seemed to mark the weekend's events by drinking in the pub. When such a star-studded, heartfelt event cannot generate widespread cultural excitement, our much-vaunted love of the arts looks more like a self-serving myth.