Diddle-idle-day-ro outshines cranks at people’s debate

Just as the Irish dancers and musicians from Trad on the Prom shuffled stage-left, contrarian broadcaster and journalist Vincent Browne declared: “That’s the best part of the programme – it’s all downhill from here.”

He wasn’t wrong.

It was last Monday night and every political latchico in the Galway West constituency was thronged into the Galway Bay Hotel for the recording of The People’s Debate, which was edited and broadcast on TV3 on Wednesday. Though the edited version that was broadcast seemed quite polished, the ‘live’ debate was a test of endurance and patience even for political nerds. The broadcast version – minus the shouty gobshites that you couldn’t please – was certainly better than being there.

It was the 11th programme in the TV network’s whistle-stop tour of the country, and Galway West gave us what we’ve come to expect from the People’s Debate: a mixture of conspiracy theorists, lunatics that have escaped the asylum, cranks, advisors – aren’t they the same, says you – the Government parties’ political plants who pepper the audience and who are by far outnumbered by the Usual Suspects, otherwise known as the Sinister Fringe and the Anti-Everything Brigade, all crammed into the same room.

They’re all here for one thing – to witness, and partake in, a public flogging of local TDs.

The four punching bags were sitting TDs, Seán Kyne (FG), Derek Nolan (Lab), Éamon Ó Cuív (FF) and Brian Walsh (FG); the fifth, Independent TD, Noel Grealish, we were told, was away on holidays, and though he had asked TV3 to reschedule to accommodate him, they wouldn’t.

Noel ‘no show’ Grealish, though clearly, ahem, devastated he couldn’t tear himself away from the sun-lounger, was the clear winner by virtue of not being there.

Browne is normally the one throwing hay-makers. But, sighing and snorting less often on Monday than normal, he was, unusually, in a light-hearted mood and was happy to allow the audience throw the punches.

The woman from the Galway Land League set a bizarre tone of debate when she asked the four TDs what they thought of the ECB (European Central Bank) ordering that 47,000 Irish homes be repossessed.

When this ‘fact’ was challenged by Browne, the woman ploughed on and said it was the IMF (International Monetary Fund), who had ordered the repossessions.

“I don’t think that’s really true,” said Vincent, bemused.

She replied: “Well can they (four TDs) deny it?”

The level of debate improved (only marginally at times); and thankfully Vincent moved swiftly along and spared us her next question for the foursome, ‘When did you stop beating your wife?’

#VinB Debate throws open closet

The People’s Debate opened with a polarising audience exchange on the Marriage Equality Referendum. Fittingly, participants thereafter used the debate as a vehicle to ‘come out’ on a whole host of things. Here’s eight:

1) Senator Fidelma Healy Eames ‘came out’ against the referendum . . . well, sort of. She started to explain how she was “seriously conflicted” on same-sex marriage, and was abruptly cut-off by Vincent Browne who wanted ‘yes’ or ‘no’ speakers, and spared FHE splinters in her bottom from fence-sitting.

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.