One of the worst things a speaker can be is worthy but dull. There is one thing worse, though, than being WBD, which is to be WBT - worthy but terrifying. It is fascinating to look at the recent election and so see how small a part climate change played in people's voting patterns. It is even more strange, because fears of various kinds played a big part in the outcome, writes Breda O'Brien
Fine Gael, for example, in its campaign played on people's insecurities, everything from worries about crime to the horror of an elderly relative occupying a trolley in accident and emergency. Michael McDowell tried to frighten people about the prospect of a left-wing government, even though, if he were being truthful, his infamous poster should have read: "Left-wing government? Fat chance!" To portray any government headed by Fine Gael as left-wing is about as likely as, well, Bertie being a socialist.
Fianna Fáil in its turn played on voters' uneasy awareness of the debt avalanche hanging over their heads. No one wanted to shout too much, and risk bringing it all cascading down. Yet the truly terrifying prospect of enormous changes in weather patterns, coastal flooding accompanied by water shortages, and streams of desperate refugees from the developing world, does not seem to have influenced the outcome one whit. Too terrifying to think about, perhaps? People do not like contemplating things over which they appear to have little or no control.
The fact that the Greens were not decimated but held their own, unlike the other small parties, is some indicator that Cassandra is not always ignored. Yet that is scant comfort. There has been a shift, but it is not enough, not nearly enough.
It is almost laughable to hear Bertie talk about his "green" speeches. Bertie triumphs because he is everyman, and the Irish everyman and woman appear to have decided that denial is the healthiest option in the face of global catastrophe. And there is the pity. If Bertie decided to take the issue really seriously, there would be the sound of people choking on their pints all over the country, suddenly shocked into believing that something serious has to be done.
The proof that Bertie does not take climate change seriously is that if it provides the Holy Grail of stability for a Fianna Fáil government, the road-building strategy in Kerry South will be dictated by Jackie Healy-Rae.
One could raise a lather pointing out that real leaders move out ahead of their people and cause others to follow, but no doubt that would simply cause Bertie to smile that inscrutable little smile of his. You don't survive elections where you were supposed to be wiped out by being that kind of leader. Yet, when it matters to him, we have seen his dogged persistence in the face of seemingly impossible resistance. Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness are cohabiting in no small part due to the fact that Bertie put his formidable talents to use in service of an ideal. If only that energy could be put at the service of building a truly sustainable society.
The Irish economy is dependent on oil to an extraordinary degree. Peak oil, the moment when 60 per cent of the oil in the ground will have been used, will be devastating for an economy like ours. What kind of world will Bertie's grandchildren, Jay and Rocco, inhabit? Some of the world's most eminent climate scientists have said that we have 10 years to make a difference.
Ten years. Jay and Rocco will be in fourth class. Their granddad will be gone from politics only five years. His final five years in power are at a time when real, decisive action will have to be taken. What are the chances that he will measure up?
We are not the only ones wrestling with these questions. The New Statesman had a piece in April with the headline, "Climate Change why don't we believe it?" In spite of all the evidence of damage, British consumers continue "flying, driving and buying with unchecked enthusiasm".
Bertie took a few swipes at the media after the election. There is no doubt that significant sections of the media do not understand the Bertie phenomenon, and cannot fathom that for some people, reading the negative coverage in The Irish Times, or even hearing about what it is saying, guarantees a vote for Fianna Fáil. Some of Bertie's comments were self-serving. Where there is a whiff of wrongdoing, the media must investigate. The sheer degree of intrusiveness and the number of undeclared agendas masquerading as objective journalism is quite another matter.
There is another way, though, that the media can be a very damaging influence. Climate change was sexy in January and February, leading many, myself included, to conclude naively that it could be a real issue in the election. By May, the media caravan had moved on. It is the old maxim that the media cannot tell you what to think, but they can tell you what to think about.
Given that the ABFF (anybody but Fianna Fáil) factor in the media just increased Fianna Fáil's vote, the Machiavellian might suggest that lack of interest on the media's part is the ideal strategy. Sadly, it does not work that way. On something as serious as the long-term sustainability of the Irish economy, the need to invest in wind and wave energy now, and to stop worshipping at the altar of oil, the media could play a vital role. People need to be assured that their personal actions can make a difference, that it is still imperative to act even if the giants like the US and China have not moved yet, and that there is still hope. It might not be as much fun as playing ABFF, but it might just meet the criteria of journalism in service of the common good.