Donald Trump is not the only joke in town
CONSIDER the following statement: “Bigotry, division and sensationalism are used to drip-feed corrosive narratives to a deliberately subdued, credulous consumer base.”
Most people would surely not guess that those words came from a new comedy show on BBC Radio Four. The Brig Society, in which stand-up Marcus Brigstocke takes the media to task, is a sad indictment of the slough of despond into which radio comedy has sunk.
A few digs at supporters of UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn aside, the show was simply a parade of slogans intended to demonstrate that the speaker shares the requisite politically correct opinions on Brexit, refugees and evil Tories.
This is what makes Callan’s Kicks so good. Oliver Callan doesn’t hide his opinions, but they never dominate the comedy. He always goes with the funniest lines, and no one is safe. Right now he’s on fire, thanks in part to an outlandish new character called Donald Trump.
Even here, Callan doesn't settle for the most obvious jokes, as Trump tells outgoing President Obama: "I'm not gonna do stuff too, but more bigly.” That neatly skewered two targets at once.
His description of Ireland, in the era of Brexit Britain and Trump’s America, as “a small child on a long-haul flight stuck between two angry fat men” was perfect too; and far more insightful than most other radio analysis of the US election.
Take Newstalk’s Sunday Show, with Mick Clifford standing in for regular host Jonathan Healy. The peasants are revolting. Career politicians are the target of huge dissatisfaction. So what do they do? Bring on former Labour leader Pat Rabbitte to say what’s wrong with Trump.
According to Rabbitte, what happened in America was a “revolt against democratic politics”, when actually it was a revolt against politicians such as himself as a class. Former Fine Gael Justice Minister Nora Owen, another guest, then declared that Trump “runs the risk of losing the support of the people who elected him” if he does not deliver on his promise of recovery, again as if this was something new, rather than a normal and unremarkable rule of democratic politics.
The clear message was that Trump was wet behind the ears and would soon learn that governing was best left to those who understand the system. People like Pat and Nora, in fact. Here’s hoping the next generation will learn the lessons that their condescending elders patently have not. Fianna Fail leader Michael Martin's appearance on Today With Sean O'Rourke felt like a steadying of the ship after recent wobbles. He remembered self-employed workers who do so much hard lifting in the economy while being ignored by government; he stressed the importance of bringing down the cost of living rather than winning small pay rises that get swallowed up by rising bills.
It’s only a start, but it felt like a conversation that we should be having.