The Weekend On One With Brendan O'Connor

sligojoek · 23-05-2021 10:56PM

Someone wiser than me said It suited the exchequer better to pay him for 7 yrs than to pay his pension and another president's salary side by side.

23-05-2021 10:58PM

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

Not sure if you are being serious or not. But thank god he is not a “Robespierre” given what he got up to.

As for MDHs cod philosophy, it makes little sense, his party trick is to ramble on and on and name check a few theories. Aul guff.

For proof of this listen back to his appearance on sat and try to decipher the riddles he winds himself up in. I doubt he knew himself what he was saying...

It got so bad that BOC gave up and started talking to him about pina colados and the dogs....and then tittle tattle about what did MDH and Leonard Cohen talk about when he met him....

It's quite normal for an interview to end on a lighter note, but I didn't hear the discussion about piña coladas (O'Connor mentioned it, Higgins seemed a bit dumbfounded) or dogs. Are you sure you were listening to the Brendan O'Connor interview?

I thought Higgins's television interview with Ryan Tubridy was very weak, pretty incoherent, and lacked value. But not this one.

The conversation focused on the President's book, and on contemporary thought in economics – e.g. the works of Mariana Muzzacato and Ian Gough — even straying into diacritical hermeneutics, whatever that is.

None of this is "cod philosophy", though, it is contemporary thought, and it's impressive that an octogenarian (let alone a Head of State) would be aware of these emerging philosophies.

It strikes me that we are in the midst of an Elizabethan era in Irish political, artistic and social life. We have a president who quotes Paul Ricœur and Richard Carney, we have a thriving artistic and intellectual life, a healthy economy, and a great deal of social cohesion.

This won't last forever. States rise and fall, shine and grow dim. Philosophers are replaced by pig-ignorant pickpockets. I think history will judge this epoch as being something of a golden era for the development of Ireland as an important European state. Maybe even an example to other states who seem to be regressing.

Enjoy it while it lasts. I thought it was a very illuminating interview.

shtpEdthePlum · 23-05-2021 11:06PM

elperello wrote: »

I thought it was gas to hear BOC saying "listen" at the start of his sentences talking to Salman Rushdie like you'd hear a fella talking in a pub in Cork.

Oh i thought it was so embarrassing and rude. To do it once would be an interjection you could forgive, to do it that many times was very cringey. I kept thinking "he doesn't want to listen to you, you're not interesting, he's the interesting one!"

Also the way he handles sensitive topics with a mallet is very RTÉ. "i know you probably don't want to talk about it but your granda was a paedo, was he?" paraphrasing

Didn't seem to phase SR anyway because at the end he said "it was great fun".

I'm convinced it was a figure of speech, one which he nearly forgot to add!

sligojoek · 23-05-2021 11:42PM

shtpEdthePlum wrote: »

Oh i thought it was so embarrassing and rude. To do it once would be an interjection you could forgive, to do it that many times was very cringey. I kept thinking "he doesn't want to listen to you, you're not interesting, he's the interesting one!"

Also the way he handles sensitive topics with a mallet is very RTÉ. "i know you probably don't want to talk about it but your granda was a paedo, was he?" paraphrasing

I'm convinced it was a figure of speech, one which he nearly forgot to add!

When Brendan says "C'mere" you know the interview is coming to a close.

23-05-2021 11:54PM

A Lamb Named Miltiades! wrote: »

The conversation focused on the President's book, and on contemporary thought in economics – e.g. the works of Mariana Muzzacato and Ian Gough — even straying into diacritical hermeneutics, whatever that is.

Pity he didn't ask him about the advantages of property investment, the advantages and difficulties of being a landlord and the ease or otherwise of evicting tenants.

ShamNNspace · 24-05-2021 11:50AM

M Ds letter to Bob on his 80th

Beechwoodspark · 29-05-2021 11:09AM

Radio on

BOC interviewing sinead o connor

Radio off

Furze99 · 29-05-2021 11:26AM

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

Radio on

BOC interviewing sinead o connor

Radio off

She comes across as some airhead. Herself and the other O'Connor are well met for sure!

archfi · 29-05-2021 11:34AM

Was enjoying it until she mentioned singing a song in her head to George Floyd.
I mean.
Come on.

archfi · 29-05-2021 11:45AM

Some singing voice though

Shelga · 29-05-2021 11:45AM

I quite enjoyed that interview actually. She’s had an interesting life, and was more balanced and seemed to have more perspective than I would have expected.

Furze99 · 29-05-2021 12:10PM

Amazing the amount of penetration that the dining industry and so called celeb chefs have in RTE. On every other show regularly going on about their lives. RTE staff are obviously paid far too much if the ins and outs of this crowd are important to them.

Vast majority of people don't eat in these places and frankly couldn't give a 'f**k' about Chapter One and the rest of them.

Del.Monte · 29-05-2021 12:14PM

The interview with this cook whose restaurant I've never been to is sucking the life out of me - radio off.

29-05-2021 12:30PM

Del.Monte wrote: »

The interview with this cook whose restaurant I've never been to is sucking the life out of me - radio off.

29-05-2021 12:44PM

Are we really a lot more compassionate, Maureen Gaffney?

DrSerious3 · 29-05-2021 07:40PM

Topgear on Dave wrote: »

Pity he didn't ask him about the advantages of property investment, the advantages and difficulties of being a landlord and the ease or otherwise of evicting tenants.

Interestingly, a certain cohort of people who generally rail against political dishonesty and vested interests would be highly annoyed if Higgins was asked about his impressive personal wealth and property portfolio on radio.

Bellbottoms · 30-05-2021 10:30AM

DrSerious3 wrote: »

Interestingly, a certain cohort of people who generally rail against political dishonesty and vested interests would be highly annoyed if Higgins was asked about his impressive personal wealth and property portfolio on radio.

I thought it was just two. His family home and then a second house in Galway. Has he many more?

Beechwoodspark · 30-05-2021 10:33AM

MDH been high on the hog for decades at this stage ...

elperello · 30-05-2021 10:53AM

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

MDH been high on the hog for decades at this stage ...

This is no great revelation.

He was a university lecturer and became a politician. Both well paid jobs.

Now he is President which is another well paid job.

Describe it any way you like but he only gets the same as anyone else in his position would get.

mgn · 30-05-2021 10:56AM

Beechwoodspark wrote: »

MDH been high on the hog for decades at this stage ...

Champagne socialist at its best.

He has done well of the backs of the taxpayer in this country.

Bellbottoms · 30-05-2021 11:01AM

mgn wrote: »

Champagne socialist at its best.

He has done well of the backs of the taxpayer in this country.

Serious question. What do you expect him to do? Hand all the money back? Use it to fund Marxists in Latin America.

What do the PBP do with there salaries?

elperello · 30-05-2021 11:07AM

mgn wrote: »

Champagne socialist at its best.

He has done well of the backs of the taxpayer in this country.

That's just an old jibe.

Politicians collect their wages just like any other state employee.

Pelvis Parsley · 30-05-2021 11:13AM

elperello wrote: »

That's just an old jibe.

Politicians collect their wages just like any other state employee.

Miggeldy has a useful chap who does all that for him.

archfi · 30-05-2021 11:16AM

The 'Crowds on a Tiny Street in Dublin' national disaster being discussed now.
'Flabbergasted'

mgn · 30-05-2021 11:18AM

Bellbottoms wrote: »

Serious question. What do you expect him to do? Hand all the money back? Use it to fund Marxists in Latin America.

What do the PBP do with there salaries?

Give something back to country by not taking a salary for the privilege of being President would do, he has the big house, staff, chauffeur, gardeners, and wined and dined around the world.

As for PHP, a shower of muppets, the worst by far is that idiot Eoin O Broin who rents a house rather than buy one, just to be in the renters club.

Bellbottoms · 30-05-2021 11:36AM

mgn wrote: »

Give something back to country by not taking a salary for the privilege of being President would do

I could be wrong, and I am sure someone can correct me if I am. But I don't think there is a mechanism to do that.

I know SF claimed for years that they only took the average wage. And as we all know they were taking the full payment and in most instances donating it to the party.

EmmetSpiceland · 30-05-2021 11:44AM

Bellbottoms wrote: »

I could be wrong, and I am sure someone can correct me if I am. But I don't think there is a mechanism to do that.

I know SF claimed for years that they only took the average wage. And as we all know they were taking the full payment and in most instances donating it to the party.

He did something with one of his pensions where the money was to go back to the exchequer. Or it was, at least, talked about.

Must be great to have your room and board covered while pulling in a salary that would make you a millionaire once your term is up.

Pelvis Parsley · 30-05-2021 11:46AM

He's only gathering it for the grandkids at this stage.

EmmetSpiceland · 30-05-2021 11:46AM

elperello wrote: »

This is no great revelation.

He was a university lecturer and became a politician. Both well paid jobs.

Now he is President which is another well paid job.

Describe it any way you like but he only gets the same as anyone else in his position would get.

From his recent interviews it comes across that his job was always poet.

Beechwoodspark · 30-05-2021 11:47AM

He even has cultivated the posh arisocrat accent to go along with his huge public earnings

The Weekend On One With Brendan O'Connor

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