Dee Forbes banging the RTE TV licence drum again 60m uncollected fee *poll not working - pl ignore*

Terence….. not a good look I’m afraid….. bang of Johnny Ronan about him…… not what’s needed in RTE. based on first impressions.

I could be wrong though.

Yeah former CFO

She was going with the formal Wonka Jonny Deep look like Forbes and Moya but she can't pull it off.

same could be said of the DG.

IMO RTÉ have made some strange decision in the last 8 months.

• Pretending IMO that Collins and Coveney had left on their own accord unwilling to answer if they receive an exit payment (Just read the Coveney press statement https://about.rte.ie/2023/07/09/rory-coveney-announces-resignation-from-rte/)
• Publishing legal letters saying why they could not breach confidentiality, but not releasing any information as to what legal implications may befall RTÉ should they fire both for gross misconduct, other than to say it very difficult to fire someone in Ireland this isn't America (as if to suggest you can't fire someone).
• Moving Robert Shortt to the position of Company Secretary a man who sat on the board during years of mis-governance and who's only contribution in the Oirechtas was to get angry at a politician for suggestion it might be better to buy a round of drinks in your local put with 160euro.
• Keeping Eimear Cusack on the leadership team, could the DG not have said look we think your important in HR but your position on the leadership team won't be part of that role.
• Giving Adrian Lynch a nominal promotion to Deputy DG (why is this role required?)
• Suggesting that savings will be made by the departure of Coveny due to the role being made redundant but at the same time splitting Paula Mullooly's role between 2 people.
• Getting the same PR firm that help try to spread the good word on Toy Show the Musical (q4pr) to help with PR at a cost of 70k in six months.

Strange decisions for properly run companies…

Not strange for RTE.

It may be morally wrong to take that money but you can bet it's clear legally. Existing practice or normal practice gets around any legal issues. Bit like "he got it so why can't I ?".

No different to any of the others in RTE. So many questions on governance and accounting in there. Imagine an accountant that routinely rounds down payouts ? You couldn't make it up.

There are so many with their trotters and snouts in the trough. It needs to stop, but how?

I would have liked to see an end to this exit package crap.

Yes retire by all means and take your final salary payment and your retirement fund/pot and then go gently into the night.

Stop this topping up pensions. You earned enough over the years to put enought away for your old age.

Others, many others, manage. Why not these shysters.

The level of greed in people who I would imagine have.more than enough is sickening.

She was not sacked, she flounced.

That was petulant, but not surprising given the "because we're worth it" culture of rte.

No fan of Breda at all, but I think to expect any money back is a bit fanciful.

We have had bank collapses, regulators asleep, senior Politicans comatose, and yet when any of them departed the scene, they kept their ill gotten gains.

We as a nation don’t demand accountability but we expect Breda to set the precedent ?

Would be difficult to expect standards now.

In my opinion, the picture of the 12 members of PAC holding up the reports, cheapens the process to political opportunism to raise their profiles.

If the lead recommendation of any investigation is that someone else should investigate RTE (C&AG) then was it just a pass the parcel exercise ?

Other recommendations are “we would like RTE” makes this seem like a lot of smoke, but very little fire.

The new exit package condition is interesting

 “that it be a condition of any exit agreement that the former employee must cooperate with any internal or external inquiries or investigations, including Oireachtas committees, and that such agreements align with the observations of the C&AG’s Special Report 91: Management of Severance Payments in Public Sector Bodies158 .”

We heard a lot from committee members about fraud and why wasn’t it reported. Strange that they feel differently now. Maybe paying someone off the books via a third party is not an issue, and I find that prospect deeply disturbing.

Yes, both committees uncovered things, but they also ensured future unavailability of key players and some of the players got nice cheques on the way out the door.

I hope the other committee produces a lot more.

And, as it is RTE, it gets worse.

Regards...jmcc

Some of this stuff that should have been done is completely obvious to anyone with business experience. The problem is that Martin is just a teacher/TD. She was ultimately in charge of a highly dysfunctional organisation run by a bunch of people who seemed to have their own financial interests uppermost. She was simply out of her depth. She also delegated a lot of responsibiity to her department staff who don't really seem to have helped the situation. As Ronald Reagan once said, "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help.".

Regards...jmcc

It was once an instrument of Social change. Maybe you don't remember the 60s and 70s like I do. I agree that the young don't watch RTE anymore and it's outdated..

Many of the current presenters are my age and older (some are very good btw) but needs some new blood..