The Last Word

jay0109 · 24-07-2019 11:20pm

Lynn Ruane gets some amount of coverage in the Irish media. Says it all

26-07-2019 9:20pm

jay0109 wrote: »

Lynn Ruane gets some amount of coverage in the Irish media. Says it all

A girl who grew up in relative poverty, who started taking heroin by the age of about 13, went off the rails and then somehow changed her life around, got herself a scholarship to Trinity and an OIreachtas seat despite having no personal, political or family connections.

She's been doing all of the things we tell addicted people they can do, and now someone is saying she should be a bit more quiet?

Ruane gets a lot of media attention because she's a public representative with a political genesis unlike anything we've seen before. Even if you disagree with her politics, you can't mean that what she did is ordinary, as though she just inherited a seat from one of her parents?

quintana76 · 27-07-2019 2:11pm

jay0109 wrote: »

Lynn Ruane gets some amount of coverage in the Irish media. Says it all

Being an ex president of the Trinity Students Union would have a certain resonance within RTE. They have employed many student union heads. 'Working class salt of the earth' Joe Duffy was one such.
The politics appeals to them.

Aidric · 27-07-2019 4:48pm

quintana76 wrote: »

Matt has long lost any sense of objectivity. He is meant to be the chairman of the debate. A chairman is meant to be neutral. Himself and Marion McKeown are in lockstep against Cal. What annoys me about Marion is the laugh in her voice as she talks about people who have views she considers absurd, almost below contempt. They are in reality just different opinions. She comes across as a true bubble dweller. She seems to live in a world were everyone has the same opinions. Any who digress are somehow mentally challenged at best, morons at worst. It is an expression of supeme golden circled arrogance. Same with Matt. In the current established media world opinions are uniform or hidden.

I agree. I used to enjoy the last word because it was an enjoyable alternative to the staid delivery of Drivetime on RTE. Cooper didn't take himself too seriously and hit the right note as a result.

Unfortunately he has now descended in to the worst form of cheap hysteria that is polluting intelligent discussion. His interviews are delivered with a cheap affected tone that amounts to nothing more than low level trolling. It's tabloid journalism designed to provoke and adds nothing to the subject being discussed.

fryup · 27-07-2019 5:48pm

^^^^^^^^^^^

he's still better than Wilson or Yates

Aidric · 27-07-2019 5:51pm

fryup wrote: »

^^^^^^^^^^^

he's still better than Wilson or Yates

low bar there

CatFromHue · 29-07-2019 2:25pm

santino wrote: »

True that. Love Ed calling it straight.

I had an issue today (I'm not outraged though).
Matt has of late been forgetful to give the language warning in the music and tv slots (only slots I listen to).
It's either in place or it's not. If he forgets, it's sloppy, if it's done on purpose it's flaunting the pre watershed rules.
I don't have a problem with it but the piece they played 're. Louis Theroux and the Baptist nuts had a load of f-bombs and Matt gave his usual apology with a hint of 'sure I did it again'. Not good enough.
I sent a text for the first time in around 10 years but it wasn't acknowledged.

He remembered on Thursday for the film slot but then they played a clip where every third or fourth word was the F word.

Just seemed stupid to play such a clip even with the warning.

NIMAN · 29-07-2019 2:55pm

Trying to be edgy.

dominatinMC · 29-07-2019 6:12pm

NIMAN wrote:

Trying to be edgy.

May as well just rename the show to "Matt and the Millennials" at this stage. Show has lost any semblance of professionalism

JoeA3 · 08-08-2019 6:39pm

They had a contributor on this evening, I didn’t catch his name, but he was a finance expert of some sort, which is unfortunate because he had a real problem pronouncing “growth”. After hearing “groat” 4 or 5 times within a few minutes I had to switch over! Even worse than Matt and his Sahurdays

ButtersSuki · 08-08-2019 6:58pm

JoeA3 wrote: »

They had a contributor on this evening, I didn’t catch his name, but he was a finance expert of some sort, which is unfortunate because he had a real problem pronouncing “growth”. After hearing “groat” 4 or 5 times within a few minutes I had to switch over! Even worse than Matt and his Sahurdays

Prob. still better than "Tea-ay-turr" (theatre).

retalivity · 08-08-2019 7:05pm

I was driving all day monday, heard an ad for tlw with a snippet from some eejit(gannon?) soapboxing about patriarchy, toxic masculinity, blah blah blah....not even a back and forth discussion, just her rambling on for about 20 seconds. This was advertising the show!!

I know that these ads are usually something controversial or a hook to get someone to listen more, but this felt like pure virtue signalling - "look how progressive we are!"

08-08-2019 9:44pm

retalivity wrote: »

I was driving all day monday, heard an ad for tlw with a snippet from some eejit(gannon?) soapboxing about patriarchy, toxic masculinity, blah blah blah....not even a back and forth discussion, just her rambling on for about 20 seconds. This was advertising the show!!

I know that these ads are usually something controversial or a hook to get someone to listen more, but this felt like pure virtue signalling - "look how progressive we are!"

who does she actually appeal to, pumping the American identity politics crap should be stopped over here....stick to the tv reviews Jen which your barely capable of doing (how she has never seen the wire and breaking bad and claims to be a tv reviewer is beyond me and thinking its a badge of honour - they basically hired a teenager to review crap they watch, like love island)….

djemba djemba · 28-08-2019 7:35am

The slot with cal was infinitely better last night. Marian was on holidays and it was cal and and an Irish American with a Boston accent (he had been on before just can't remember his name).

Matt seemed far more balanced and allowed the two guests talk rather than having to back up Marian all the time.

Jayesdiem · 28-08-2019 7:41am

djemba djemba wrote: »

The slot with cal was infinitely better last night. Marian was on holidays and it was cal and and an Irish American with a Boston accent (he had been on before just can't remember his name).

Matt seemed far more balanced and allowed the two guests talk rather than having to back up Marian all the time.

It was good but the Boston accent is very hard to listen to. I’ll be happy when Marian returns.

jay0109 · 28-08-2019 7:58am

Larry Donnelly of NUIG I think it was

djemba djemba · 28-08-2019 8:13am

jay0109 wrote: »

Larry Donnelly of NUIG I think it was

That's him.

ButtersSuki · 31-08-2019 6:18am

Jennifer Gannon again on yesterday when asked about Ross O’Carroll Kelly/Paul Howard immediately starting talking about the “importance” globally (no less) of the “omg what a complete Ashling” instead. Can you talk about the topic you were asked and not make everything a f***ing feminazi SJW crusade? Her tv pick of the week was predictably a Harvey Weinstein documentary which she introduced by way of an uninterrupted 2minute or so monologue on strong women,#metoo, blah blah blah etc. etc.

31-08-2019 8:44am

She also had a rant about characters like Tony Soprano, Walter White , Cillian Murphy in Peaky Blinders before that.

She used every segment in the piece for an SJW rant. It's tiresome at this stage.

At least there was yer man on (can't remember his name) for some actual tv reviews.

ButtersSuki · 31-08-2019 8:59am

5555555555 wrote: »

She also had a rant about characters like Tony Soprano, Walter White , Cillian Murphy in Peaky Blinders before that.

She used every segment in the piece for an SJW rant. It's tiresome at this stage.

At least there was yer man on (can't remember his name) for some actual tv reviews.

I came in about halfway through the segment so missed that. Well she hadn’t watched either The Sopranos or The Wire until very recently and I doubt she has watched both given their length so I guess she’s just making assumptions there.

Joe O’Shea was the other reviewer.

JoeA3 · 31-08-2019 11:41pm

She’s fcuking unbearable. There really are no words. Is there no quality control in terms of voice quality and delivery in radio these days? Before we even consider the absolute garbage she spouts, there is that dreadful voice she’s been lumbered with. She cannot speak properly FFS. She makes Matt sound like an elocution expert. Truly unbearable.

jimmymack · 01-09-2019 10:14pm

It's a long, long time since I last listened to the Last Word so I can't say I've ever heard Jennifer Gannon, but I did read an article she wrote about "Soft Boys" in the Times magazine yesterday.

If that's the sort of drivel she comes out with on a weekly basis, I'll be happy if I never hear the show again. No self-respecting journalist could justify that crap.

NIMAN · 02-09-2019 9:16am

Problem is, the term 'journalist' covers a wide spectrum of people these days.

At its heyday, The Last Word would have had some top journos on, like Robert Fisk for example.

Nowadays it's young ones from Joe.ie or the journal.ie that count as experts.

dominatinMC · 02-09-2019 12:15pm

NIMAN wrote: »

Problem is, the term 'journalist' covers a wide spectrum of people these days.

At its heyday, The Last Word would have had some top journos on, like Robert Fisk for example.

Nowadays it's young ones from Joe.ie or the journal.ie that count as experts.

The absolute dregs of journalism. I find it slightly ironic that Matt often laments the current state of journalism - particularly print media (falling newspaper sales, etc.) whilst continually promoting the likes of TheJournal.ie by having their "journalists" on his show. Surely there are better contributors out there.

PopePalpatine · 02-09-2019 12:22pm

The problem is they'll run afoul of [REDACTED]'s embargo.

jay0109 · 02-09-2019 10:09pm

On this eve's show, he had a piece on Voluntourism/White Saviours i.e all those secondary school kids raising money to then go to Africa to build houses, schools etc.. Are they doing more harm than good and is it a form of snobbery/looking down on the natives.

1 of his guests was none other than Eliie Kisyombe who was introduced as an asylum seeker with experience in the DP system and local election candidate for the SD's. Not a mention of the controversy she caused recently when her asylum story was found to have more holes than a colander, the lies that were exposed, the half truths etc. If you didn't know her back story, you'd think Matt had an expert guest on.
And for a man who spends so much time ranting about Trump, Farrage, Johnson et al and the lies they tell and how those lies have polluted politics and the daily discourse! breathtaking stuff.

She told a great story about her Uncle back in Malawi. She rang him today to say she was going on national radio to discuss this topic. He told her a story about Bono visiting Malawi a few years back to discuss Aids treatments. Her Uncle was part of the organising committee for the visit and also lead a delegation for his local area to talk to Bono and the Malawian Prime Minister.
Listening to that story and the way she told it, you' be scratching your head trying to figure out why exactly she fled that country when life seems so normal for other members of her family. Indeed they seem to have some standing in the country.

whiterebel · 03-09-2019 9:44pm

She left Malawi to escape Bono...........never having heard the expression "out of the frying pan.......":D

03-09-2019 9:49pm

jay0109 wrote: »

She told a great story about her Uncle back in Malawi. She rang him today to say she was going on national radio to discuss this topic. He told her a story about Bono visiting Malawi a few years back to discuss Aids treatments. Her Uncle was part of the organising committee for the visit and also lead a delegation for his local area to talk to Bono and the Malawian Prime Minister.
Listening to that story and the way she told it, you' be scratching your head trying to figure out why exactly she fled that country when live seems so normal for other members of her family. Indeed they seem to have some standing in the country.

That's kinda the point, though. It's a bit like how people grumble that political asylum seekers are middle-class in their home countries... That's exactly what you'd expect.

If someone was claiming asylum, on political grounds, and they had no connections in politics and had no education, it's then that you'd really be scratching your head, surely.

whiterebel · 05-09-2019 8:21pm

The triumvirate of terror continued their assault against the english language again the other evening......

Niall "thirdy, Fordy, commiddee, commidded" Coldbert combined with Matt "Go true it for us, healt, stealt, truout Cooper. And then, to complete the mangling of words, the one and only.....Ian Guider. How he can appear on radio the way he talks? Let’s just get rid of the letter "h" Matt, it’s easier. And ddrrraaawww out woorrdds Matt, for effect.

PhoneMain · 06-09-2019 9:48am

whiterebel wrote: »

The triumvirate of terror continued their assault against the english language again the other evening......

Niall "thirdy, Fordy, commiddee, commidded" Coldbert combined with Matt "Go true it for us, healt, stealt, truout Cooper. And then, to complete the mangling of words, the one and only.....Ian Guider. How he can appear on radio the way he talks? Let’s just get rid of the letter "h" Matt, it’s easier. And ddrrraaawww out woorrdds Matt, for effect.

The worst of the lot is Jennifer Gannon

The Last Word

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