Love or loathe him, Leo should follow mould-breaker Trump and tell us what he really thinks
WHAT’S really bugging Leo? There’s something going on in his head we just can’t get a handle on. One thing is for sure, there’s more than meets the eye in those barbs of his that have upset some sensitive souls in media land. He’s certainly got a bee in his bonnet.
Most politicians – if they were sufficiently candid on such matters – have various gripes about the journalism world. But they keep their heads down, unwilling to get embroiled in what they feel is an unwinnable war. The pity in this instance is that having had a good old swipe at some unspecified targets, Leo Varadkar then lost his nerve. He should have stuck to his guns and told us exactly what he thinks.
It was inevitable his initial comments made at a private lunch in New York would leak into the public domain. And he was bound to be in a spot of bother when it was suggested he had a certain sympathy for Donald Trump, and the US president’s joustings with pesky media types. But the Taoiseach, having flown his kite, then let it fall to earth with a thud. As a sea of indignation swarmed all round him on his return to Ireland, he felt the need to dispense a full frontal apology in the Dáil.
But why should he not proclaim his views on Trump? “I just said I had some sympathy with him in the fact he is willing to take on his critics,’’ said Varadkar. These were damning words from the viewpoint of his critics. Yet, as the most junior media student will know, Trump has rewritten the ground rules as to how a high-profile politician can dispense with powerful institutions such as the White House press corps. For good or ill – and it’s difficult to get a dispassionate discussion on the topic this side of the Atlantic – in this arena, he is a mould breaker.
Trump simply decided to bypass established heavyweight media outlets such as the ‘New York Times’ and CNN. The age of Twitter allowed him to do so and connect directly with his core supporters. It is an approach which has outraged what is termed the liberal metropolitan elite in Washington, London and Dublin. But the more kickback there is from this sector, the more Trump loves it. He knows what he is doing goes down well with his core voters.
It is one of the factors that could see him win a second term.
It’s all to do with getting your message across. Varadkar may not be the only politician to realise Trump – love him or loathe him – is one of the arch communicators of our age. The scenario for politicians and media may be much different in Ireland compared to the US. But at the same time, the onward march of technology is revolutionising the way information is dispensed.
One of the more intriguing remarks attributed to the Taoiseach was his assertion there are too many journalists working in Leinster House. In an era of shrinking employment levels right across the communications industry, this is certainly a contentious point. But it is surely neither here nor there from Varadkar’s perspective.
And then there’s the question of gossip. The Fine Gael leader portrayed a scenario where hacks, whispering tittle-tattle, stalk the Leinster House corridors. There is nothing especially unusual about this observation.
Anybody with a fleeting awareness of human nature, never mind the goings-on in our national parliament, will realise the barely audible aside is ingrained in the interaction between journalist and politician – there is nearly always some juicy piece of gossip flying around. Indulging details of low-level scandal, or suggestions of skullduggery, at least helps pass the time of day. But it should not be forgotten that politicians are every bit as enthusiastic as their media counterparts in purveying the latest allegation, rumour or innuendo.
Leo may also bemoan the fact some hacks are more interested ‘in the story rather than the truth’. But the reality is the quest for an ‘angle’, whether in print or in broadcasting, is never ending. It’s intrinsic to the journalism business.
Of course, there are occasions when it is tempting to gild the lily. But the bottom line is that our pitiless libel and defamation laws usually restrict the reckless from going seriously offside. Unsubstantiated gossip put into the public domain can be contested in the courts, with possible career-damaging consequences for the reporter involved.
Varadkar faced ritualised outrage from the self-righteous. Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald was in full flight, almost suggesting some of the very tenets of our democracy were being challenged. Others drew analogies with the shooting dead of five people in a Maryland newspaper office.
Yet a more reflective response suggests Varadkar may have touched on a theme for our times. There are those who argue news and information is being trivialised in this high-tech age. American writer Nicholas Carr, in his book ‘The Shallows – What The Internet Is Doing To Our Brain’, suggests the public’s overall attention span is in sharp decline. Accordingly, a surface knowledge of most running stories and issues is enough for an ever-increasing percentage of the population. He suggests this is an inevitable consequence of ‘online trivia’ and so-called ‘click bait’.
The current controversy surrounding primary school children and mobile phone usage is another manifestation of this trend. An increasing number of teachers in Ireland want the younger age group parted from their mobiles, at least while they are attending school. Among their concerns is that concentration levels are being damaged at a young age.
In the political world, complex issues such as housing and health – challenges equally bedevilling other governments – are often trivialised in off-the-cuff sound bites. Varadkar’s much-vaunted Strategic Communications Unit was formed to ‘get the message out there’ that solutions to such intractable problems must be slow and tedious. There is no easy fix. Leo must be especially sore this ‘mission to explain’ floundered, because the unit could not the resist the temptation of trying to get one over on the Opposition.
Still, it would be good to get the Taoiseach’s considered thoughts on all such matters. He has raised some points worthy of further discussion. Those gossip fiends who prowl around Leinster House are no shrinking violets. They know that between journalism and politics there must exist a bit of a no man’s land. Never the twain shall meet, so to speak. They are well capable of confronting a political headbutt – and coming back for more.
And that goes for all of us who do a bit of scribbling, sound off on the airwaves, or vent some spleen in the social media whirlwind. So go for it Leo. Be done with the apologising. Get it off your chest. Tell us what’s really, really bugging you.
It would be good to get the Taoiseach’s considered thoughts on all such matters. Those gossip fiends who prowl around Leinster House are well capable of confronting a political headbutt – and coming back for more