Behind the Story: 'Wild west' of corporal punishment, defence spend and Jeff Bezos wedding
The 'wild west' of corporal punishment in school is something that Paul Cunningham remembers well.
RTÉ's Political Correspondent has opened up about his personal experience of the practice on Behind the Story.
Remembering a particular incident back in 1978 as a 10-year-old, Paul recalls 47 years later how it stays with him.
He reflects on recent changes which give schools guidance on how they should deal with former pupils who come forward and report historic abuse.
The policy - Child Protection Procedures for Schools, 2025 - is an update on its original 2017 document.
Katie and Paul also talk through plans for Ireland to partake in a new EU programme SAFE, or Security Action for Europe.
The procurement scheme would enable the State to quickly acquire defence systems and help streamline procurement policies across the bloc.
What does it mean for Ireland - and what could be in store for Irish troops amid a shifting interntional stage at the United Nations?
Also the duo toast the 'wedding to the year' in Venice between Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez.
You can listen to Behind the Story which is available on the RTÉ Radio Player.
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Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Gareth O'Callaghan: It's been two years since Tubridy was thrown to the lions. Is it time for RTÉ to ask him back?
'Until someone is prepared to lay out the systemic problem, we will simply go through cycles of finding corruption, finding a scapegoat, eliminating the scapegoat, and relaxing until we find the next scandal.' I'm not a fan of American politician Newt Gingrich; but as I read these words of his, I'm reminded of where I was this week two years ago when Ryan Tubridy's stellar career as Ireland's leading broadcaster started to come apart in what was a bolt out of the blue. Barely a month before, a day ahead of his final Late Late Show, he told fans: 'Tomorrow night is going to be a night of endings for sure, but beginnings for definite.' In hindsight, some might have called his words prophetic, others foreboding; but it seems certain he knew nothing about what was careering down the tracks. It would take a long hot summer before RTÉ's director general Kevin Bakhurst finally announced on August 18 that Tubridy would not be returning to his radio show, after a two-month controversy that became the most damaging crisis the broadcaster has ever faced in its almost 100-year history. It was an inglorious sacking, painfully drawn out, and made worse the previous month by the performances of some politicians on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) with their humiliation of Tubridy and his agent Noel Kelly during live Oireachtas TV sessions, the first of which had more than nine million minutes of online viewing. No doubt it's a date that's etched forever in his memory, the day his career slipped from his grip and his life changed — Tuesday, July 11, 2023, when he was thrown to the lions in Leinster House, a place that's not always known for its moral compass. For the first time in its history, this online streaming channel, which most viewers to the event had never heard of, had bigger audiences than the annual Toy Show. Pubs across the country showed the televised meetings on their big screens, while clips from earlier sessions were viewed millions of times on TikTok. 'This is my first rodeo being in the public eye,' Tubridy told PAC that day. 'My name has been desperately sullied, I think my reputation has been sullied.' Strong words not used lightly, which led this writer to suspect he was being scapegoated as a result of a gargantuan cover-up — one that, it turned out, had been simmering for years. No doubt Tuesday, July 11, 2023, is a date that's etched forever in Ryan Tubridy's memory, the day his career slipped from his grip and his life changed. File photo: Oireachtas TV In the words of American diplomat Madeleine Albright, 'the cover-up, more than the initial wrongdoing, is what is most likely to bring you down.' And it did, royally. It was a scandal waiting to happen, and it was allowed to happen, not just by successive RTÉ managements, but by governments who ignored the warning signs for years. Looking back at the cast of characters who testified at the hearings, the only one thrown under the bus was Tubridy. That tells its own story. It wasn't until Grant Thornton's report was published in August two years ago that the facts became clear amidst all the convoluted evidence divulged by both sides. But by then, one man's reputation had been badly harmed. It found that RTÉ had intentionally understated Tubridy's annual salary by €120,000 across the three years from 2017-2019 by driving down payments made to him to under €500,000. In total, Tubridy was overpaid by €345,000. This conclusion cleared him of blame, which appeared at one point to be piled high and deep against him. RTÉ essentially disregarded its own payroll system so as to undervalue Tubridy's salary. Payroll software at the broadcaster clearly showed he was paid more than the €500,000 over each of the three years. According to the report, Tubridy was also entitled to a €120,000 bonus, which he chose to waive. Hindsight can be merciless. What remains foremost in public memory two years later is the side deal with Renault, which RTÉ footed the bill for. Pubs across the country showed the televised meetings on their big screens from Oireachtas TV of RTE's star presenter Ryan Tubridy. File photo: Oireachtas TV In 2020, Tubridy was paid by RTÉ in a sponsorship deal brokered by him, his agent and the broadcaster worth €225,000, in return for taking part in three corporate events for the car dealer, of which only one took place. He hasn't repaid the outstanding €150,000. Last weekend, media minister Patrick O'Donovan encouraged Tubridy to hand back the money, 'so we can move on from it,' he said. Ryan Tubridy has clearly moved on from it. He now lives in London, recently got engaged, and carving out a career for himself in radio, having been left with little choice but to leave the country, censured as the poster boy of a scandal he didn't cause. He became the fall guy as accountancy practices that had been going on for years in RTÉ finally became public. Was there any need for the public humiliation and the verbal flogging that Ryan Tubridy was subjected to two years ago? Did it serve any purpose, apart from dividing a national audience? If anything, it laid bare the banjaxed business model of RTÉ. The station posted a €9.1million loss in 2023 when its licence revenue took a massive hit as a result of the scandal, which it likely will never recover from. Its business model has never worked, so how can it hope to be self-sufficient? Government handouts are RTÉ's only hope of surviving, but for how long more? I suspect Kevin Bakhurst is keeping a close eye on the BBC, whose charter comes up for renewal in two years; when the network will have to prove its fitness in negotiations in order to take on the next 10 years of public service broadcasting. RTÉ has always fancied itself as a BBC-type replica with the additional benefit of commercial revenue income. BBC's charter comprises a trio of core objectives: the pursuit of truth with no agenda, an emphasis on its native culture and storytelling, and a mission to bring people together – not unlike RTÉ. But has RTÉ not failed in two of these objectives in the light of what happened two years ago? RTÉ has a serious public service broadcasting remit, which is becoming more and more difficult to commit to in the modern climate of content-rich competitors with very deep pockets. In television land, new content is king. Repeating old programmes in order to fill a television schedule is one sure way to drive away viewers. It's difficult not to feel a sense of fatalism about RTÉ's future. Its treatment of a presenter who is still loved the length and breadth of Ireland, along with its handling of the payment scandal, was a devastating error of judgement. RTÉ's director general said there was a 'moral' case for Tubridy to return the money. Considering the scandal was of their own making, with disclosures of indefensible accounting and governance practices, and a propensity for decades of lavish corporate hospitality, RTÉ should be careful about highlighting what they regard as other people's morals. Ryan Tubridy at the official launch of Joe Duffy's autobiography 'Just Joe' in Dublin in 2011. File photo: Gareth Chaney Collins Grant Thornton's report absolved Ryan Tubridy of any blame. Whether he should return the remainder of the private sponsorship fee he received is a matter for him to decide. Unfortunately, the role that one individual found himself unwittingly cast into as the controversy unfolded two years ago, and how that role was sensationalised to the point where he was unjustly made out to be the villain, continues to overshadow the reality of a much greater scandal in which many of those responsible will never be punished. Two years on, the least RTÉ could do is offer Ryan Tubridy his job back. Maybe then, in the minister's own words, we can move on from it. Read More Gareth O'Callaghan: Unanswered questions haunt Philip Cairns case decades later
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Elaine Loughlin: Trump's ICE attacks on free speech do not stop at US borders
Humiliation is just another minor consequence of Donald Trump's latest chilling move against freedom of speech, which threatens the entire bedrock on which the US was founded. This week I toyed with taking a look back at some of the best years of my life. Thankfully, the demise of Bebo meant I couldn't find a way to log in to see what ultimately would have been an embarrassing stream of blurry pictures, apparently funny comments, and hot takes on the world that would have left me cringing for days. Thoughts are no longer private The years that straddle adolescence and adulthood is a time in which most people are navigating the world, making mistakes, and forming their own opinions, many of which will change as lived experience alters what can be idealistic and naive interpretations. The current generation of third-level students, who have no recollection of Bebo, are now finding that what could have been a fleeting opinion or throwaway remark may have a lasting impact. Under new rules, all applicants for F, M, and J visas to the US will be instructed to adjust the privacy settings on all of their social media profiles to 'public'. Running contrary to everything from John Stuart Mill's 'On Liberty' through to the US constitution itself, Donald Trump, 'is denying the space and freedom to allow truth prevail'. Picture: Alex Brandon/AP Irish students looking to spend a summer in America on a J1 visa will be required to list all social media usernames or handles of every platform they have used from the last five years on their application form. Applicants must certify that the information in their visa application is true and correct before they sign and submit. Omitting social media information could lead to visa denial and ineligibility for future visas. 'A US visa is a privilege, not a right,' a statement issued by the US embassy read. Threat to first amendment of the US constitution The latest announcement is just part of an ongoing intrusive policy which aims to engender fear, curtail opposing opinion, and ultimately threaten the much-valued first amendment of the US constitution. 'We are watching a major incursion on freedom of expression unthinkable in a Western democracy,' was how Labour leader Ivana Bacik described the changes announced to the student visa system by the US administration this week. Holding up a comical printout of an online meme in the Dáil chamber, Bacik detailed how US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, better known as ICE, had detained a young Norwegian tourist at Newark Airport for five hours before he was ultimately sent back to Oslo. Why? He had on his phone the same meme depicting vice president JD Vance as a baby. While Bacik described the incident as 'extraordinary', such examples are becoming more frequent under the Trump administration, which seems hellbent on stifling alternative opinion. John Stuart Mill explained free speech Freedom of expression, especially in the academic sphere, is crucial if we as a species are to evolve and advance. In his 1859 essay, On Liberty, British philosopher John Stuart Mill put forward a comprehensive three-pronged argument as to why opinions, regardless of how incorrect or misaligned they are, should never be silenced. 'In any argument there are only three possibilities. You are either wholly wrong, partially wrong, or wholly correct — and in each case free speech is critical to improving or protecting those positions,' he wrote. 'Only through diversity of opinion is there, in the existing state of human intellect, a chance of fair play to all sides of the truth.' ICE arrests Trump, through a series of measures is denying the space and freedom to allow truth prevail. This began in March when ICE agents began arresting student protestors who had expressed pro-Palestinian views. In one of their many notorious actions, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) held Columbia University student Mahmoud Khalil, a lawful permanent resident, for three months. Picture: Ted Shaffrey/AP This included the high-profile case of Mahmoud Khalil, a student activist at Columbia University who was returning home from dinner with his eight-month-pregnant wife when he was taken by four ICE agents and forced into an unmarked car. Although Khalil, a lawful permanent resident who was born in Syria, was released after three months in custody on June 20, the administration has indicated that it will appeal this and has cited a provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 in its effort to deport Khalil. The clause allows the secretary of state to remove individuals from the country if they have reason to believe the person's actions or presence undermines foreign policy interests. Since Khalil's arrest, hundreds more students have been detained over their pro-Palestinian campus activism, with often vague allegations tabled against them. In late April, plans to further expand the reasons under which international students can be stripped of their legal status in the US were unveiled. Since then, there have been pauses on visa interviews and a move to 'aggressively' revoke visas for hundreds of thousands of Chinese students. More than 60 third-level institutions, most notably Harvard University, have been threatened with billions of dollars in financial penalties. In refusing to bow to Trump's pressure, Harvard is battling moves to freeze research grants and suspend foreign students from enrolling in the Ivy League college. Under such constraints, a brain drain has begun, with many lecturers and researchers looking to Europe and further abroad for refuge. Beyond academia, the administration has banned news outlets from covering White House events and sought sanctions against attorneys and law firms who do not represent Trump's view of the world. The land of the free and the home of the brave is becoming a place where those brave enough to speak out are suppressed and punished.
Irish Times
3 hours ago
- Irish Times
Letters to the Editor, June 28th: On lack of action in Brussels, doing the right thing and choice language
Sir, – Your newspaper today (June 27th) provides a stark juxtaposition as to the situation in Gaza, and the hypocrisy of the EU. Your reporters in Brussels set out the lack of action by the EU to sanction Israel for its failure to allow aid into Gaza (' Government briefs 'like-minded' EU states on Occupied Territories Bill '). We see where states who are 'sympathetic' to Israel effectively veto anything more than carefully crafted words, as being the strongest action possible. The hope being that these words will bring the Israeli government to its senses and allow aid, at appropriate levels, to be let into the enclave, and maybe a ceasefire. And as if to show the Israeli government holding two fingers to the EU, your Reuters report sets out how Israel has stopped any aid being allowed into the north of Gaza ('Israel halts aid to northern Gaza as clans deny Hamas is stealing it'). Those strong words from Brussels really hit the mark! READ MORE The hypocrisy of the EU is then laid bare with unanimity easily forthcoming in extending sanctions against Russia for their invasion and ongoing war with Ukraine. While Mr Netanyahu can strong arm those leaders who are 'sympathetic' to Israel, the EU will never take collective action against Israel. It is time for those EU states who are minded to take action against Israel, in the form of concrete sanctions, must do so unilaterally. – Yours, etc, PHILIP BRADY, Donnycarney, Dublin. Sir, – I read with interest Dr Ed Abrahamson's letter (June 26th). His analysis of Ireland's relationship with Israel in light of ongoing events in Gaza and the political discussions of the same in Ireland was revealing. I was particularly interested in his view that the 'deep freeze' he describes between Ireland and Israel may never end. He posits that the fracture in the relationship between the two countries may affect the economy and also gives an example of the welfare of patients in Irish hospitals who may be deprived of medical advances which come from Israel. It is true that the Government and many politicians have spoken out on issues in Gaza and many people in Irish society are very upset and angry about what is unfolding. For many across society, this has meant taking a stand and speaking up for what we consider to be wrong in terms of current events. Surely to be human and to have moral courage and clarity means that taking a stand on any issue should come down to moral considerations alone? The view that being seen as taking a stand against Israel's current actions might affect us in a material way is a factor to be borne in mind, is to totally miss the point and the moral clarity that taking a stand on any issue demands. Moral courage is the willingness to take a potentially costly moral action simply because it is the right thing to do. I learned this lesson very early in childhood when I was visiting Dublin with my parents and ran towards the door of Dunnes Stores on Henry Street and my father gently pulled me back and said 'We are not going in there, never cross a picket, do you hear me now ? never.' He gently explained about South Africa, apartheid and oranges and how these people were doing what was right, even though it would affect them directly in their income. I was fortunate to have such an early lesson and the clarity and admiration with which he spoke about those Dunnes Stores workers has stayed with me as a seminal memory, almost 40 years later. Taking a stand means doing the right thing even if the consequences of that stand affect you directly, the world is often transactional and full of compromise and moral cowardice. Doing the right thing means we abandon such obfuscation and speak with the same clarity and simplicity as though we are speaking to a child, explaining the difference between right and wrong and why doing the right thing matters even if it affects you directly. – Yours, etc, JACKIE GORMAN, Athlone, Co Westmeath. Sir, – Justine Mc Carthy is to be congratulated on her forensic account of how the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has exceeded her legal mandate and undermined the role of the EU high representative and the rights and responsibilities of individual member states in relation to foreign policy ( 'What gives Ursula von der Leyen the right to egg on Binyamin Netanyahu with his killing crusades ?' June 27th). The big question is what can be done about it? A motion of censure is due to be tabled by a number of MEPs in respect of the 'Pfizergate'controversy. This concerns Ms von der Leyen's professed inability to release copies of texts between her and the Pfizer chief executive officer during the Covid crisis. There are also issues arising in relation to the alleged bypassing of the European Parliament and the increasing centralisation of power in the commission. It is now clear that the Fianna Fáil MEPs who voted against von der Leyen's reappointment were absolutely correct in their judgment. Given the Government's strong position on the recent report on Israel's violations of human rights within the EU trade deal, all our MEPs should now consider supporting this motion and help trigger a substantive and comprehensive debate in the European Parliament on this important issue. – Yours, etc, MARTIN Mc DONALD, Dublin 12. Contactless travel Sir, – Dr Mark Thompson asks why it will take so long to introduce contactless payment on public transport (Letters, June 27th). His question is, however, like the line judges in Wimbledon, redundant (' No line judges at Wimbledon: you cannot be serious ,' June 27th). We don't need contactless payment; we need a simple Berlin-style smart phone ticketing app. Once downloaded you can buy a ticket that lasts for two hours on any form of public transport. You can buy a ticket immediately before you board a bus, tram or train. You don't have to tap machines at stations, on buses or trams. Random inspection polices the time-based system. With a Berlin-style app, payment is easy and foolproof. Unlike the traditional Wimbledon fans upset by the removal of the line judges, the Berlin app does not need to replace the cumbersome existing infrastructure. Better, it does not need the addition of contactless payment which is rapidly becoming a legacy technology. – Yours, etc, SEAN KEAVNEY, Dublin 15. Sir, – Ken Buggy bemoans the delay by the National Transport Authority introducing contactless payment on public transport here (Letters, June 27th). He suggests that if Ryanair were involved it would be in place 'tomorrow' and with 'no shopping bags'. He should be careful what he wishes for; Ryanair might refuse buggys as well. – Yours, etc, PAUL MURPHY, Drumcondra, Dublin 9. Sir, – Dr Marc Thompson rightly takes the Government to task regarding the lack of contactless payment on our public transport system. He wonders why there's no joined-up strategy, and why we can't deliver 'infrastructure at a scale and speed which the citizens deserve'. There can hardly be something called 'joined-up strategy', without joined-up thinking, and, regarding what the citizens deserve, that particular horse has long bolted, and the citizens' expectations do not appear to have any purchase in the minds of those in the corridors of power. – Yours, etc, PETER DECLAN O'HALLORAN, Belturbet, Co Cavan. Remembering Mount Charles Sir, – The sad news of the death of Henry Mount Charles brought to my memory a little incident which showed his wide field of interests and concerns, In the 1990s, the issue of the closure of the Phoenix Park racecourse arose. My sister, May, was very concerned about the closure and started a campaign collecting signatures of protest. Without any contact from my sister, Mount Charles wrote to her offering any help he could give. May was surprised and very pleased to receive such unexpected support. That same day, we read the dreadful news that Mount Charles' beloved Slane Castle was on fire. So he didn't get the wished-for opportunity to record his views on the racecourse closure. A man of many streams. – Yours, etc, EILEEN LYNCH, Dublin. Aesthetics and architecture Sir, - The article (' Cost to take priority over 'aesthetics' in future State infrastructure projects ,' June 27th) could be interpreted as the Government abandoning its national policy on architecture published in 2022. 'Aesthetics' are not something nice to have but an essential component of public buildings and an easy target to blame for high costs. In fact, the architectural and special quality of the children's hospital is one of the few positives that counterbalances negativity around the high cost. The real drivers of cost are not standards and aesthetics but rather the delays in procurement and planning. Each year a ¤1 billion project is delayed adds about ¤70million to the cost and we regularly see these public projects take countless years to go from the start to commencement of construction. We don't need soviet-style grey boxes to put our sick children in. It won't solve the cost-control issue either. – Yours, etc, JOE KENNEDY, FRIAI, Co Dublin. Sir, – It is well established that the long-term consequences of ignoring aesthetics in the construction of major infrastructure, such as hospitals, include reduced usability, lower satisfaction, and higher costs in the long run. At least Jack Chambers' (Minister for Public Expenditure) false dilemma of cost versus aesthetics adds a new entry to the bingo card of construction costs in contemporary Ireland: Beauty! – Yours, etc, DR CONNELL VAUGHAN, Lecturer in Aesthetics, Technical University, Dublin. Shine on Sir – British prime minister Keir Starmer's Irish chief of staff Morgan McSweeney appears to be losing his shine (' Irish fixer under fire as welfare rebellion looms in U K,' June 27th). According to army protocols and even Collins Dictionary, 'polished shoes make its wearer look more presentable and can elevate a person's public standing'. A tin of black should do it then. – Yours, etc, MARION WALSH, Dublin 4. Capping judicial review legal costs Sir, – Recent commentary blames judicial review for delays in infrastructure and housing projects, prompting proposals to cap legal costs for successful applicants at ¤35,000 (' Government plans for €35,000 fees cap to halt High Court delays to building projects, ' June 20th and ' Failure to tackle objectors will have dire results, ' June 27th). Judicial review exists not to frustrate policy, but to meet Ireland's obligations under the Aarhus Convention which requires access to environmental justice to be 'fair, equitable, timely and not prohibitively expensive'. Given our inordinately expensive legal system, capping legal fees at €35,000 would effectively deny access to justice for many – including individuals, community groups and NGOs. Meanwhile, the State would remain free to spend unlimited sums on its own legal team. This imbalance undermines the constitutional guarantee of equality before the law and the principle of 'equality of arms' in legal proceedings. Instead of undermining this essential right, we should address the real issue: Ireland spends just 0.07 per cent of its GDP on its legal and judicial system – the lowest in Europe. Chronic underfunding, not judicial review, is the main cause of court delays. – Yours, etc, TONY LOWES, Friends of the Irish Environment, Co Cork. GAA and the Mayo board Sir, – The choice of language used by the Mayo County GAA Board in sacking its management team was disgusting. Exactly what might be expected of the owners of an English Premier League club when sacking a manager; and indeed, even then not always so. Gaelic football is an amateur sport. An amateur sport that is now garnished with the worst aspects of corporate professionalism and elitism. Major fixtures behind pay walls. Highly paid officials. Corporate boxes. Exorbitant ticket prices. All totally based on the efforts of unpaid amateur players. GAA president Jarlath Burns needs to have a chat with his full-time permanent officials. Pundits speak of managers losing the dressingroom. If GAA HQ are not careful, they may well lose a lot more than that. Mayo are a proud GAA county. An apology should issue from headquarters . And an assurance that county management teams will be treated with respect in future. An opening phrase that a manager 'has been relieved of his duties with immediate effect' undermines whatever weasel words may follow. – Yours, etc, LARRY DUNNE, Rosslare, Co Wexford. Wouldn't do a tattoo Sir, – Despite multiple back-packing trips to Thailand where guest houses often had tattoo artists in situ, despite several weekends in Amsterdam where impulsivity reigned and despite 40 plus years as a biker surrounded oftentimes by bearded brethren covered in ink, I have never felt the desire, nor the need, to get a tattoo. And now at 62, taking gravity into consideration and looking at my inked friends (bar one who is an ultra marathon runner with a lean taut physique) I am happy I didn't follow the herd. Speaking of which, is that a sheep or a cloud on your shoulder? And why does that wolf on your back look like he got implants in Turkey? – Yours, etc, LORCAN ROCHE, Dublin. Choice language Sir, – My oh my, how far the standards of The Irish Times have fallen. I am still in shock having seen the word 'arse' in one of Fidelia's Crosaire clues in this morning's paper. Where do we go from here? – Yours, etc, MJ Tomlin, Dublin.
