The Weekend On One With Brendan O'Connor

boardise

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122136720#Comment_122136720

Nah , Mary L McDonald and her SF henchmen can get houses built for E300,000 no probs.

tohaltuwi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122212856#Comment_122212856

I imagine a lot who follow American politics with this degree of infotainment at heart have some connection tons there, either close relatives, have worked there or visited there a lot, or work for American companies etc. I suppose I would too if I were in that league, as it is I find it tedious & depressing and it’s very far from being my favourite country to visit.

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122212856#Comment_122212856

I'm not sure what you were expecting given the format of the show.

I can however assure you that Larry Donnelly, Bostonian,lawyer and lecturer, Elaine Loughlin, political correspondent The Examiner and Gerard Howlin, long time involved in politics as an advisor don't rely on the BBC and the NY Times to inform them about US politics.

I'm not certain about Dr Mary McAuliffe but she is a serious historian and as such not given to speaking without thinking.

Of course Larry Donnelly is also a US citizen, a registered Democrat and has a vote in the US.

These are serious people and far removed from politics as fast food or entertainment.

If you find discussion of US politics distasteful that's your own choice.

iffandonlyif

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122213170#Comment_122213170

‘These are serious people so obviously they’re very well informed’? That’s the argument you’ve chosen?!

And obviously I wasn’t including the American in my criticism. Jfc.

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122213276#Comment_122213276

Not really but I am saying at least three of those on the panel are well entitled to express an opinion on US politics

Serious people tend not go on radio shows talking about things they don't understand.

You did say all the panellists as quoted below so I thought you included Larry.

"Twenty minutes in and they’re still talking about Trump and the coming US election. All the panellists talking with extreme confidence about a political system they know only from afar based on BBC News and the odd New York Times article"

Not to worry, it's no big deal, he's not all that special. Everyone in Boston thinks they are an expert on politics, not just the lawyers 🙂

kowloonkev

The reason people prefer to speak on air about foreign politics is because they've no skin in the game and can't do themselves damage. They'll seemingly have a great understanding and empathy towards your average yank, but as soon as they leave Donnybrook they have their heads firmly up their own arses, as seemingly they have not a clue what paddy average is thinking.

plodder

No names. No names! …. Except if they're dead and can't sue.

thesandeman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122214772#Comment_122214772

The "no names" panic today was to save himself the bother of having to read out the rest of the twentysomething candidates if one was mentioned.

I was really hoping someone would mention a name.

plodder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122215647#Comment_122215647

That's funny. If true, I suppose it means they are taking the balance requirement seriously, but that would be plainly ridiculous.

On the topic of election skullduggery, Brendan was quick enough to shout out the name Pat O'Connor - Pat O'Connor, the oldest and possibly lamest political joke in the book. No fear of being sued there as he is long dead.

donaghs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122213170#Comment_122213170

In fairness, Larry Donnelly (thick Boston accent) is fairly open minded. He did make the point that its wrong to simply dismiss half of America as Trump supporting rednecks and "deplorables", and more effort should be made by the Democrats to try and understand these people (many who used to vote for them). Making the point also that Hillary Clinton lost voters by that sort of elitist dismissive condescension.

I'm not sure if I'd call Dr Mary McAuliffe "a serious historian". I'm sure she has all her footnotes and bibliography in order, but in her entire career and ouvre has been bsaed around the women's/gender stuff: https://people.ucd.ie/mary.mcaulif

Not much diversity of topics/ideas!

She's the Director of Gender Studies in UCD (formerly know as "Women's Studies"/WERRC, before the current gender obsession). She seemed to stick closely to the script and gave all the expected answers that someone from her "side" should. No real room for nuance or grey areas.

iffandonlyif

A radio review in the Independent mentions the panel discussion on Sunday.

https://m.independent.ie/entertainment/radio/radio-reviews-its-a-fair-assumption-that-mary-lou-mcdonald-cant-have-intended-to-end-her-interview-in-the-way-she-did/a1084754595.html?

NUIG law lecturer Larry Donnelly said a few things that I found baffling, and that I surmise Larry himself may have found baffling, when it was all over.

He criticised the defence in Trump’s election interference case, for not objecting when Stormy Daniels went into “lurid detail” – yet my understanding was that Stormy had every right to be lurid, due to Trump’s insistence that his defence team stick with the lie that he never had sex with her at all. Her own credibility now required that she provide some local colour, as it were. Far from being just “lurid detail”, this is what he wanted to hide, this was his motive.

As it turned out, I now had some skin in this game. An article of mine was raised by Brendan, when Larry was talking about the applicable statute, and how it required “an intent to defraud”.

It goes on, with the reviewer repeating the argument about a legal technicality that he made in his column.

The reviewer repeating himself gives me license to do that same: why are we so preoccupied by the details of American politics in a way that we aren’t even about EU politics? And why does an Irish columnist feel qualified to rudely correct an American law academic about an American legal trial?!

plodder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122227131#Comment_122227131

Not sure I'd agree with him on the fraud point. It has a much more specific meaning in law and cheating to win an election wouldn't count imo. Donnelly was by far the only person worth listening to on that panel. It had a real bank holiday vibe to it.

iffandonlyif

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122229361#Comment_122229361

Yeah, it’s one step away from saying there’s a victim in every immoral action, and that’s God.

In line with my point, it’s the type of superficial, facile argument you only make when you’re outside looking in.

I agree Donnelly was good but the rest seemed pretty typical to me.

dulpit

Bit random that Brendan O'Connor was off today what with it being the day after election. On newstalk Anton Savage's show was extended to run from 9am to 1pm instead.

And it's not like this election's date wasn't well known, it's a set date...

Brendan Bendar

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122234580#Comment_122234580

Nothing ‘random’ about anything RTE do Dee.

Noels rules dude.d

bureau2009

The Weekend on One - WITHOUT Brendan O'Connor!

tohaltuwi

This interview with comedian John Bishop sounds car crash to me. He’s making it all about complaining about his ex wife and sounds distinctly under the influence 🤔 but I don’t tend to focus too much on his interviews.

Brian Scan

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122237032#Comment_122237032

She's still his wife.

thesandeman

I thought his ex wife is his current wife? I like his style of comedy I much prefer him to the other Bishop anyway.

FrancieBrady

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122237032#Comment_122237032

and sounds distinctly under the influence

eh?

Sounded in top form to me.

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122237133#Comment_122237133

High on life.

A good spin on a motorcycle 🏍️ has that effect 🙂

ihateboards

Russell Crowes final musical choice was the great I Hung My Head by Johnny Cash. They then play verse three and go to ads. There's no point in that. If you're going to do a pseudo-desert island discs you need to play the full tune. Feels shoehorned in. Pity.

ShamNNspace

Ah I see Aodhains Mrs Aine sitting in for Brendan this morning,, it's a small circle up there

z80CPU

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122262148#Comment_122262148

Tight n Cosy circle.

littlevillage

This is fairly rambling stuff.

thesandeman

Really weird thing to have a musical about.

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122262145#Comment_122262145

I just turned it off, when I heard yet another celebrity with some show or book to flog.

amlinopta

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122262148#Comment_122262148

It’s his ex-missus at this stage.

ShamNNspace

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122263407#Comment_122263407

You are absolutely right, I see they got divorced in April 👍

Kalimah

Aine still there- is this the third week without Brendan?