RTÉ admits paying Tubridy €345,000 more than declared

ButtersSuki · 30-08-2023 10:28AM

Aside from the deliberate info. dump a half an hour before they appeared before the PAC, are you all forgetting the opening of Tubridy’s speech (prior to when he started his OTT prepared monologue) where he talked about how much he and Noel respected and admired the Oireachtas and their work etc.? It was both nauseating and embarrassing. I mocked it at the time on this very thread in real time.

He was given a time limit to state his piece - something in itself not regularly afforded to those who appear before the PAC - and went well over it. He was also allowed “perform” his opening statement without interruption.

Later in the day, when the chair suggested a break, Tubridy chimed in with “Will we break for a cup of tea? Wouldn’t that be nice?” as if they were at a meeting of a volunteer committee discussing how to arrange the chairs for the upcoming panto or something minor and irrelevant and not the misappropriation of hundreds of thousands of taxpayer’s money. All part of the fake kindness act of course.

Then we had the “can I just say, I LOOOOOVE your county” to the Louth representative, a mark clearly designed to curry favour. I liked Joe Brolly’s riposte to this where he said “even people from Louth don’t love Louth”. As I said on the thread that day Tubridy loved Louth so much he wouldn’t even stay the night there after the Drogheda Renault gig, instead getting a €1,000 to go home. I assume the lack of a 5 star hotel in Drogheda influenced this decision.

He was also indulged on the day in a manner I’ve never seen in such committees previously. He constantly passed questions to Noel (which should have been halted at the first attempt), waffled, procrastinated, just gave stock answers no matter what the question asked was, and engaged in amateur dramatics and performance theatrics that would not be tolerated were he a regular member of the public.

On top of the arrogance, the visible disdain, the conptempt, and the fakeness, Tubridy showed himself to be unbelievably out of touch and self-centred that day. I would argue that appearance and his behaviour that day more than anything contributed to his downfall. It certainly prompted a reassessment of the man by even those who would have on his side. Clearly I’m no fan (I’ve been calling out the whole NKM brigade for years), but I stated on the thread in advance of the hearing that were I advising him my advice would be NOT to do go before those committees. But we know Tubridy and Kelly do not take advice, unless it seems it’s from each other.

And rather bizarrely it seems, the whole highly suspicious matter of the timing of the retirement announcement the day before the Minister (invisible Minister I might add) was informed of the “overpayment” seems to now be forgotten by our investigative journalists. Getting to the bottom of that and who knew what and when would be rather insightful I feel.

Cluedo Monopoly · 30-08-2023 10:29AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121046082#Comment_121046082

Very very good summary of the appearance. The carry on was quite disgusting.

HildaOgdenx · 30-08-2023 10:39AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121045964#Comment_121045964

So I always found it slightly distasteful.

Totally distasteful, to me.

It smacked of jumping on bandwagons of people's genuine tragedies, illnesses and grief. And then being unable to handle the situation. I didn't watch the LLS under his tenure but I read about the interview with Barry McGuigan, for example. It would take a highly skilled interviewer to handle someone whose grief was so raw. Tubridy should not have gone there.

I know there are many many other examples. Ruthless is actually a perfect description.

HildaOgdenx · 30-08-2023 10:42AM

Great post @ButtersSuki

I only saw clips here and there and kept up otherwise by reading the thread as much as possible.

The overriding impression I had of Tubridy that day was of disdain and disbelief - 'what am I even doing here. This can't be right.' Etc.

tom23 · 30-08-2023 10:46AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121046121#Comment_121046121

But thats all he has in his locker... there's nothing else there. Ask the tear jerker question, savour the moment, thats the shot Ryan. Th tear jerker. Social media here we come. Filler content for the Indo like anyone under 60 gives a bollox about him or the show or RTE.

I think Butterski has his persona down to a tee. But when one thinks about it... the whole of RTE is like that.

stevejr · 30-08-2023 10:54AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121046142#Comment_121046142

"The overriding impression I had of Tubridy that day was of disdain and disbelief."

Like a cheeky child caught with their hand in the cookie jar. And damnwell expecting not to be chastised for it.

He showed his true nature for everyone see that day.

Everyone who wants to see.

stevejr · 30-08-2023 11:43AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121046121#Comment_121046121

I found it totally distasteful myself.

But I'm tryna learn to tone it down a bit. My daughter keeps sending me this;

Screenshot_2023-08-30-12-41-38-882_com.android.chrome-edit.jpg

Brian Scan · 30-08-2023 11:56AM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121046082#Comment_121046082

"I mocked it at the time on this very thread in real time."

TYFYS, then and now.

stevejr · 30-08-2023 12:20PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121046161#Comment_121046161

"... thats the shot Ryan. Th tear jerker. Social media here we come."

And that's the kicker about the whole thing. Many LLS viewers may have bought it. It's not hard to see why.

Look we all get more sentimental the older we get. I know I have. Tubridy's audience is the most sentimental of them all. Easy prey for someone who likes to exploit not only misery, but kindness as well.

"I think Butterski has his persona down to a tee. But when one thinks about it... the whole of RTE is like that."

Absolutely.

squonk · 30-08-2023 01:49PM

I think the carryon over the tragic accident in Clonmel the other day clearly signals that RT isn’t the only one interested in grief and misery and using it to their advantage but not actually recognising how bad it makes them look. They had 3 on air staff in Clonmel the evening after the incident. The 6-1 news anchor, Sam Libreiri and the regular regional correspondent. I’m sure that regional correspondent was nite than capable of covering the incident and re porting from the area. It’s a sad time for that community and I think we’re all quite well able to recognise the tragedy without being told It’s a 3 Reporter tragedy.

Tge place seems rotten. People warning around tragedy like flies on you know what.

Orange-Coca-Cola · 30-08-2023 02:02PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121045241#Comment_121045241

Unfortunately not. I was looking for it last night and again today. I asked the person who read it out to me, and while they remember reading it out, they could not 100% say which newspaper it was in, but said that it could only have been the mail or the Sunday Independent, and it was around the time the oireachtas meetings were going on, I think between the first three, maybe between the first and second. I have tried searching but I am not very good at that, all that keeps coming up is about GOL and her husband going to the rugby or the concert and GOL making people aware that they paid for their own hotel rooms.

I asked was it an article about GOL, and they said no, it was about all of them (rte board) and that was maybe a paragraph or three. I will keep looking, but I do not know how successful I will be.

Hyperbollix · 30-08-2023 02:06PM

Anyone familiar with Ricky Gervais will know the one and only Karl Pilkington..... I see Tubridy as a bit of an enigma like Karl! He does a really good impression of a straight forward, ordinary guy, but there's something at the back of your mind saying, this fella is a playing a role or a character. At the very least, he's embellishing his own personality for his own ends. He surely can't be like this in reality....

Well the RTE scandal I think has proved conclusively that Ryan Tubridy ™ is and always has been a confection. Years of doing heart wrenching interviews for the explicit purpose of playing up to Irish people's innate love of a bit of misery porn and their equally innate generosity when it comes to charity. Years of promoting himself as an Irish Willy Wonka in order to bolster this reputation of a caring, lovable, child like man "who just wants to sprinkle a little fairy dust in every one's living room" or some such twaddle.

Well we all know the truth now. Just another devious opportunist who was draining his financial basket case of an employer dry with dodgy opaque deals designed to get him extra cash on top of the shedloads he was already paid, doing a lazy, sub standard, low effort job to boot and generally making RTE a journalistic laughing stock every time he sat at a mic or in front of a camera.

RoTelly · 30-08-2023 02:10PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121045215#Comment_121045215

I just don't think he should have been promote, regardless of how less culpable you are no one from that executive board deserved a promotion. And they should rescind it with immediate effect.

But RTÉ do not understand: -

There autumn launch wasn't smaller than other years because of the scandal, rather they decided it was time for a change (that RTÉ offical statement on the matter)

A better one would have had the admit it was excessive then and it looks bad now and we want to highlight the new content rather than focus on the scandal that has rocked the organisation.

RoTelly · 30-08-2023 02:11PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121045387#Comment_121045387

Completely, but Bakhurst didn't remove her from the executive board she'd gone a few years previously. I hope that they fully investigate these circumstances of this redundancy.

Orange-Coca-Cola · 30-08-2023 02:13PM

This story often appears in various forms or papers while I was searching for the other, and it really seems to show us how nasty GOL is, with letters from her solicitor threatening the journalists asking about how much her husband cost the tax payer.

https://www.pressreader.com/ireland/the-irish-mail-on-sunday/20230702/281569475173683

stevejr · 30-08-2023 02:16PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121047290#Comment_121047290

Cheers, thanks for looking. I'll look out for it myself.

I'm sure GOL is no paragon virtue either.

EDIT: Just saw your post above👍

Oscar_Madison · 30-08-2023 02:20PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121046082#Comment_121046082

Ah would ya stop with your bledin great posts- you’re showing us all up with the crap we post 😛

Orange-Coca-Cola · 30-08-2023 02:23PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121047361#Comment_121047361

I have found a small article that mentions he was banned from operating as a company director, but it does not mention her trying to get him a position in rte. But it might be easier for me to search now that I have a lot more keywords his company name and other things

https://www.pressreader.com/search?query=charlie%20daly&newspapers=8951&start=2023-07-02&stop=2023-07-02&orderBy=Relevance&hideSimilar=1&type=3&searchFor=Articles

RoTelly · 30-08-2023 03:20PM

I am flicking between all of the last posts. I am ... I just don't know. What absolute and utter ....

Another name not mention is the Frances Abeton. She got a year out of RTÉ. They appointed her to the board and really pushed her taking the job in the media, and then she just left. A year ago she was in the news because of some dodge land speculation

https://www.independent.ie/business/irish/former-rte-director-locked-in-property-investor-row/41620891.html

Perhaps neither are related.

Maynis · 30-08-2023 03:31PM

Can someone explain why a 'Contractor' should have to disclose and get approval for their other endeavors? Surely if you are a Contractor, you are not an employee of RTE and so you're not as answerable to them as their own employees.

In fact, it would be an issue if the Contractor did not have other outside interests and incomes - They would likely be an employee???

30-08-2023 03:45PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121047722#Comment_121047722

Because many of them are not actual contractors, they are employees. This is a separate but intertwined scandal. Google 'Revenue Scope', RTE have been fined 2M and have set aside a lot more (some say 8M) to cover this.

odyssey06 · 30-08-2023 03:48PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121047722#Comment_121047722

It depends on whether RTE is only one of many clients, or if RTE is their primary contract.

If you've a contractor RTE is paying significant sums to present flagship programmes such as the Late Late, which is sponsored by Renault.

It would be absurd for RTE not to take an interest in whether that presenter is also presenting similar programmes elsewhere, or doing sponsorship for a competitor of Renault.

RoTelly · 30-08-2023 04:05PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121047792#Comment_121047792

Your problem there lies with non-RTÉ productions. RTÉ seem to class presenters on Independent productions as non-RTÉ presenters. So for example does Kathern Thomas need to declare her outside work? Here is someone contracted by independent producers to present at least 2 prime time programmes and she will most likely stand in for Ray D'Arcy on the radio. Should she have to report to RTÉ about side deals, for that matter is she allowed work for other broadcasters while presenting high profile shows on RTÉ?

L1011 · 30-08-2023 04:10PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121047792#Comment_121047792

If you are primarily working for one employer and they define your conditiosn, you are an employee and should be taxed as such. And employer prsi paid.

Hmrc in the UK went after broadcasters doing this a while back, it'll happen here too

podgeandrodge · 30-08-2023 04:40PM

Regarding Kathryn Thomas doubling up with Daithí O Sé for Rose of Tralee - a few weeks back she said (per Mirror):

“Myself and Daithi are mates. We’ve been friends for 17 years, so I was able to pick up the phone to him, before I made any decision to say, ‘What’s the story? What do you think?” She admitted making the phone call was a huge part of the decision process. “I can’t accept a job and not know I’m going to work well with somebody – and the fact that Daithi is my friend, and I could have that conversation with him is one of the reasons I took the job.

I emailed RTE a while ago and asked was she paid extra for this gig and received the following response today - which sort of makes it hard to understand how she had a "decision" to make above, unless she could have said no and been given some other gig. Either way, it looks like RTE moved to ensure that they got full value from her in the current climate - perhaps this was the focus rather than simply needing an extra presenter?

"Kathryn Thomas was included as a co-presenter of the Rose of Tralee as part of her existing contract with RTÉ. No additional fee was paid to her."

Rubberchikken · 30-08-2023 04:46PM

Let's not kid ourselves into thinking anyone is actually ill.

Its that sort of 'nice guy' allowance that had most of these people look on appearing at PAC as a complete waste of their precious time and oh-so-far beneath them.

Cowards that take all they can from the public trough, yet look agast at being asked to explain their actions to the plebs.

odyssey06 · 30-08-2023 04:53PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121047901#Comment_121047901

Revenue seem to be slow enough to do so... it was a few years back when HMRC did that so it's not like they can feign ignorance.

But if a publisher engages an author for an 'exclusive' book deal, or newspaper signs a ex-footballer on a contract to write an 'exclusive' column for them, are they employees?

Must Patrick Kielty be an employee of RTE because he presents the LLS if RTE have a contract that he does not present any other similar shows for a competitor? Or engage in marketing activities that compete with LLS sponsors?

There could still be some grey areas.

RoTelly · 30-08-2023 04:54PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121048048#Comment_121048048

So we are now to believe that Kathryn Thomas is an RTÉ contractor, or was this part of her Radio contract? rather than Op Trans and other shows?

L1011 · 30-08-2023 05:00PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121048113#Comment_121048113

If their ability to work at will elsewhere is constrained, yes, they are employees. That doesn't apply to an ex footballer writing a column but it could cover Kielty.

This is also rampant in IT, to try evade paying redundancy or doing TUPE when contracts change. Kids with FETAC certs being set up as professional contractors to answer phones in a support desk upwards. Leaves them with bog all rights and a much lower amount of PRSI being paid

odyssey06 · 30-08-2023 05:07PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121048152#Comment_121048152

But the ex footballer is constrained - they cannot perform that service for a competitor. They can't write for The Times and The Guardian say.

And a management consultant may be called in to consult with a particular business, with a contract, and part of that contract would be not to advise competitors. They could advise companies in other sectors.

But you raise an interesting point, if RTE put this in place and put contractors in its scope - if\when Revenue look at this it may be 'ammo' to them being considered employees.

RTÉ admits paying Tubridy €345,000 more than declared

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