While Ireland punches above its weight, Spain is too big to fail - in football and economically

Despite the might of its football team and the fact it got a better bailout deal from Europe, Ireland is likely to triumph Spain, writes Paul Allen.

We used to laugh at the English. Every European Championship they qualified for they believed they would win it.

But while England fans took a more sober approach regarding their chances at Euro 2012, Ireland’s cheer leading brigade managed to convince themselves we would crush Croatia, spank Spain and lash
Italy.

Even Grumpy Dunphy was getting caught up in the hyperbole surrounding Trapattoni’s chances of leading Ireland to the promised land and out of the group of death.

However, reality can be a painful reminder.

Ireland is a minnow and not only in world football terms. Just like with our economy, we will always have to thrive to be greater than the sum of our parts. We are not Germany and Spain when it comes to football, and the same is true economically.

So when the details of the Spanish bailout were released, there was little shock the rules were different than those for Ireland.

The aid is expected to be focused entirely on Spain’s banking sector and does not appear to have committed to additional austerity measures or structural reform.

The media has also has been kinder to Spain.

When the IMF rolled into Dublin two years ago, the global media fed the world a strict diet of ghost estates, piebald ponies and beggars.

‘Rainy, dour Ireland was as depressed as its economy,’ was the general theme.

The images of protests, long dole queues and pensive politicians broadcast a different picture from sunny Spain and have so far not relied on worn clichés as in the case of Ireland.

The simple fact is that this is because Spain’s economy is the fourth largest in the EU and demands respect. It is too big to fail or, indeed, to patronize.

Ireland on the other hand might punch above its weight in many aspects, but also has to be realistic about its position in the pecking order.

While Greece rebelled, Ireland took its medicine and is playing a longer game. Because our nation’s reputation relies on stability, this is most likely the best option.

At present Spain’s unemployment level is 24.1pc (compared to Ireland’s 14.5pc), with more than half of all workers under the age of 25 out of work. Such a massive level on unemployment is a ticking time bomb as it will soon start to accelerate mortgage defaults, further fuel social unrest and political stability, while all the time suppressing economic growth.

Ireland is in a far better position, and while things continue to be tough the economy is well placed to recover (as long as Europe manages its way out of the current crisis).

So while we may struggle against Spain on the pitch in Poland, the longer-term prospect for Ireland is far sunnier than many people think.

Paul Allen is Managing Director of Paul Allen and Associates PR, www.prireland.com.

Irish voting on a Euro treaty that no one understands -- Language used in treaty is impossible for ordinary voter to understand

Irish leader Enda Kenny

The upcoming referendum is sadly more likely to be decided upon by raw emotion rather than hard facts, writes Paul Allen.

“A vote is like a rifle,” according to Theodore Roosevelt. “Its usefulness depends upon the character of the user.”

The former US president’s words come to mind as our upcoming referendum is fast approaching. The reason is it seems the electorate is in danger of shooting its nose off to spite its face regardless of how they vote.

The reality is for the vast majority of us the last thing we will actually be voting on is the fiscal treaty.

While both sides of the yes and no divide have valid arguments, both are also slinging misinformation into the maelstrom.

The fact is regardless of whether you vote yes or vote no, austerity will continue. So the debate is being targeted at an emotional level. The yes cheerleaders are preying on our fear, while the no side are stoking our anger.

This vote will have major implications for the country and for future generations. Hence it needs to be made with the head rather than the heart. However, there is little chance of that come Thursday.

The truth is, this conundrum is impossible for the Irish electorate to solve.

Winston Churchill might have been embellishing things a tad when he declared, “The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter,” but when it comes to highly technical European treaties he has a very valid point.

Even the most enlightened economic, legal and political minds are arguing over the treaty and its potential impact. The truth of the matter is the majority of voters are just not in a position to understand the treaty.

Are you going to vote on Thursday? Have you read the treaty? The truthful answer is most likely “no.” So how can a nation go to the polls to potentially decide our children’s future without having read the precise nuts and bolts of the treaty they will be voting on?

The reason is because the language used is impenetrable to all but those versed in EU political legalese or, as it is more commonly known, Euro Babble.

The Irish Constitution is something to be treasured but its flaw is that it allows the people to decide on issues that they are not in a position to make well-judged and informed decisions on. We are swayed by emotion and by the general mood, but the hard cold facts are generally the last things we cling to.

This is why there is so much hysteria surrounding Thursday’s vote, not only in Ireland but also in Europe. It is telling that other European governments don’t throw such treaties to the public for them to be torn to shreds in a cloud of misinformation. The result is while other nations in the EU rely on sober analysis, the Irish will decide on its future relationship with Europe depending on how angry or how scared the majority of us are this coming Thursday. Regardless of the outcome, that is something we should all regret.

Paul Allen is Managing Director of Paul Allen andAssociates PR, www.prireland.com.

Tabloid sleaze, sex and sin may have been diluted during the Rupert Murdoch scandal but it has not gone away

Rupert Murdoch

The muddy mire that engulfs Rupert Murdoch’s media empire seems to get thicker and murkier by the day as the Leveson Inquiry continues its investigation into the gutter press.

While Murdock appears contrite as he points the finger of blame elsewhere, his grip on this media empire is being slowly loosened.

Murdoch once had Prime Ministers and politicians at his beck and call while he single-handedly destroyed the reputation of the tabloid press. What the Daily Mirror had achieved over many years of socially aware and campaigning journalism in the ‘60s and 70s, the Sun almost instantly crushed when it launched its mix of sleaze, sex and sin.

And what The Sun was doing during the week, the News of the World did every Sunday. This was achieved, according to one former reporter, through a culture of fear and unethical practices. Working within this “culture of fear” journalists felt pressurized into making up stories and engaging in illegal activities, such as phone hacking.

It is this culture the Murdoch virus used not only to destroy the reputation of the press in the UK, but also to infect the Irish media.

The competitive pressures heaped on Irish media by Murdoch’s low cost scandal sheets as they infiltrate our media landscape threaten the high standards of journalism we have often taken for granted.

Thankfully, so far the Irish media has not seemed as susceptible to Muroch’s mighty influence as Fleet Street was. Indeed, to what extent he has succeeded on this side of the Irish Sea remains to be seen.

However, claims made in the High Court last week show, if true, just how the rules of journalism not only change but are thrown out the window when the British tabloid press strolls into town.

The court heard that a Sun journalist allegedly paid the man at the center of false allegations against Louis Walsh to make the untruthful sex claims in an attempt to “take out” the X Factor judge “as a public person.”

The man behind the false allegations was sentenced to six months in prison last January after pleading guilty. The Sun, which originally published the allegations, also accepted they were false. But now Walsh is seeking access to the documents that will allegedly show The Sun offered to pay Watters to make the false complaints.

With the Government is currently obsessed with ensuring RTE pays a heavy price for its defamation of Father Kevin Reynolds, the insidious nature of the British tabloid press should not be forgotten. Because if there is any truth behind The Sun’s part in the false allegations that could have intentionally destroyed Louis Walsh’s career out of simple spite, RTE could be the least of the Government’s worries.

Paul Allen is Managing Director of Paul Allen and Associates PR, www.prireland.com.

Poor communications has a cost – Irish Government needs to be careful what it cuts

Irish leaders Enda Kenny and Eamon Gilmore

Government departments have spent nearly €400,000 on public relations in the last couple of years, according to figures released this week. But the fact of the matter is they should be spending more.

Saying such a thing in the current climate of swinging cutbacks is tantamount to treason. Years of austerity have frayed tempers, and the recent debacle over household and water charges have pushed many people beyond breaking point.

Regardless of the arguments for and against such measures, the government has ultimately struggled to clearly communicate its policy. Mixed and unclear messages have constantly been leaking from the coalition government sparking panic, fear and dismay throughout the country.

This resulted in only 920,000 out of 1.6m homeowners actually registering and paying the household charge.

Even after the frantic communications chaos that led up to the March 31 deadline, the government then messed up the communication of the water charge. Was it is to be paid in a lump sum? Was it to be spread over a number of years? Would there be any charge at all? The answer was yes, no or maybe depending on who you were listening to.

The business of government is never easy. Ministers receive constant briefs and daily updates from civil servants and then have to communicate that information to the public. But just like lawyers love to speak legalize, civil servants and government officials speak in what is often an impenetrable language for the uninitiated. It is little wonder politicians frequently get caught out making blunders.

Love or loath advisers the media has branded spin doctors, the fact is that clear communications between any government and its people is a critical necessity in a democracy.

While often derided for employing dark arts, there is nothing sinister in having public relations professionals helping government ministers communicate in a clear, concise and consistent way — the opposite of what it has been happening in many instances recently.

In a time of austerity any such suggestion is met with contempt from the media and the public at large. However, the question must be asked — what type of relationship do we want with those in power?

There is a danger in Ireland that the cold eye of the accountant is valued above all else, meaning we often end up knowing the price of everything but  the value of nothing.

We throw our arms up when we get misinformation or mixed messages from those in power, but will be filled with rage if we hear of ‘special advisers’ being hired to help.

While all government spending needs to be justified and accounted for, there is also a cost associated with good governance. However, some people seem blind to this equation.

Some would argue that the cost of flying the Taoiseach to a crunch meeting with EU heads of state in a private jet should be done away with and replaced with Ryanair. This is even though the time for planning, briefing and preparation afforded by taking a private jet can have a huge impact with regards to performance on the European stage.

The same is true with many areas of governmental spending. Strict accounting and transparency is a must, but there are some areas that when trimmed back too far will ultimately impact on the Government’s ability to govern.

So, when it comes to running Ireland, always taking the Ryanair option may provide an immediate saving, but could have far more costly implications on our future.

Paul Allen is Managing Director of Paul Allen and Associates PR, www.prireland.com.

Why Irish media bias is under attack by government ministers and critics

Pat Rabbitte speaking to the press

While tighter regulation is necessary, the traditional media is best placed to help police more balanced and unbiased news reporting.

Is our media too self-obsessed? Well, according to Minister of Communications Pat Rabbitte it is. He believes that, “no other sector of society has the same ability or willingness to elevate their office politics to national news.”

However, many believe the problem with the media is that it is not self-obsessed enough. This is because, unlike the other areas of society it so vigorously investigates, it rarely turns the spotlight on its own operations in any meaningful way.

Minister Rabbitte has rightly made it his mission to improve standards in the television, radio and newspaper sectors, particularly in the wake of the highly damaging and defaming Prime Time Investigates ‘A Mission To Pray’ programme.

It is of little surprise the knives are out for RTE and the media in general after the botched hack job on Father Kevin Reynolds.

RTE became a little too self-assured and over-confident, letting its position as a big fish in a small pond go to its head.

But, according to the Minister, the likes of RTE and other big players are in for a wake-up call because he believes the future of the media in Ireland will be poorer, more democratic and online.
---------------
Read more: 
A priest accused - but is he innocent of the sexual abuse charges against him?

Beaten in Chicago - Natasha McShane now unable to speak or walk
---------------
However, while there is little doubt the media will continue to become more fragmented, the big players of today will not only be the top dogs for many years to come, but are also best placed and have the resources to help police a policy of more balanced and fair reporting.

But while such a policy is relatively easy to put on paper, the Minister needs to be aware that changing the very culture of news reporting is far more difficult.

The media has always thrived on bad news. Not so surprising given this constant diet of conflict and drama draws a large audience and, in turn, advertisers. Good news is boring and not good for business, just ask Joe Duffy.
  
All media loves drama. And like in most good dramas, it loves nothing more than shouldering blame on a dastardly villain.

Once this blame is apportioned, reporting and editorial comment becomes highly skewed and biased.

RTE’s unfair, unbalanced and unethical coverage concerning Father Kevin Reynolds had its birth in the fact that the burden of proof was deemed less important when it came to a priest thanks to the sins of the Catholic Church.

Politicians also suffer from the sins of others. And when they are frequently harangued live on air by presenters seemingly more interested in scoring points than uncovering the facts, it feeds into and re-enforces a public mood distrustful of our political classes.


Fake tweets, on air bullying and skewed coverage has not only affected RTE, but has impacted on our media’s ability to help us develop a balanced understanding of critical news stories.

This results in emotionally driven reactions to the collapse of the Celtic Tiger, the performance of our government and our relationship with the EU.

While this is never a good thing, it becomes more problematic when we are faced with the upcoming vote on the European fiscal stability treaty referendum.

The reality is that empowering the existing media to better balance the inherent bias of all journalism, is far more effective than waiting for a time far in the future when the status quo in the sector might change.

How Minister Rabbitte proceeds is of critical importance because, we need a media that not only has the power, but also the resources to reflect the truth as clearly as possible. This is highly important because if we cannot view the past and present with unbiased clarity, our view of the future will always be worryingly skewed.

The shameful truth behind the Mahon Tribunal - report a whitewash and a waste of time and money

Bertie Ahern

After a decade and a half of foreplay the one thing the findings of the Mahon tribunal have underlined is that we have all been taken for a ride.

How can any democracy justify squandering millions of euro on the biggest investigation into corruption the state has ever witnessed to tell us all what the dogs the in street have known for years?

Not that it comes as a huge surprise, but the minimum most people were expecting was for former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern to be officially tarred and feathered.

However, simply stating Bertie “failed to truthfully account for” a wedge of cash that passed though bank accounts connected with him is hardly the knockout blow to his reputation many were hoping for.

It would be any spin doctor’s daydream to have such unspecific language used against their client. You would think after all the filthy lucre shoveled into the tribunal over the years it could have at least bought a set of teeth. But rather than dishing out a true mauling the best this toothless tiger could muster was a slap on the wrist that more or less accused the former Taoiseach of not playing ball and being a bit of a scallywag.

Indeed, the only thing the Mahon Tribunal has achieved is to confirm for those that may have forgotten that the Banana Republic is alive and well.

While Enda Kenny was doing us all proud earlier this week in the US as he charmed President Barack Obama and told all who would listen that modern, sleek Ireland is bouncing back and very much open for business, the evidence would appear to undermine him.

Yes, Ireland will recover from the recession and most likely, in economic terms at least, bounce back leaner and meaner than ever before, but the undeniable truth is that our country will remain broken.

How can we justify spending so much effort and cash on what has amounted to be a total waste of time? Why is someone that has “failed to truthfully account” for something not been branded a liar? Why has no one been prosecuted? The sad reason is that in Ireland we prefer sugarcoated double-speak rather than the uncomfortable truth.
-------------------
Read more: 
Former Prime Minister Bertie Ahern gave false evidence says Mahon Tribunal investigation

Top ten winners and losers from St. Patrick's Day season 2012
-------------------
The onus is now on the current Government to ensure such a travesty of time wasting never happens again. If someone is guilty, then drag them through the courts and throw them in jail. We can no longer afford expensive white elephants such as the Mahon tribunal and the Irish public should no longer stomach them.

In a time of austerity it is simply sinful the even contemplate ever again squandering cash on such costly circuses. Just like the only meaningful thing the Seaned produces on a yearly bases is enough hot air to float the egos of overpaid part time politicians who love the sound of their own voice, tribunals have also proved they are well past their sell-by date.

The findings of the Mahon Tribunal should be used as a wake up call for a nation that loves pointing the finger and looking for scapegoats. We need to demand a system where the privileged and wealthy actually have something to fear from fiddling the system.

The sad truth today however is that it is not Bertie Ahern that should be ashamed of himself, but all of us for hoping this charade would change anything.

Paul Allen is Managing Director of Paul Allen and Associates PR, www.prireland.com.

Kiss Me, I’m Irate over St. Patrick’s Day products - Give me a break

Urban Outfitter St. Patrick's Day products

The essential item of clothing this St Patrick’s Day for some Irish people should be a t-shirt emblazoned with ‘Kiss Me, I’m Irate!’

Yes, you’d think we’d have enough political and economic turmoil to be dealing with, without getting our knickers in a twist over some hipster clothing store and the world’s largest sports brand.

Urban Outfitters had the audacity to suggest that the Irish have an unhealthy relationship with drink when it released a range of “drunk Irish” t-shirts

One featured the phrase “Irish yoga” and beneath depicted an image of a person on their hands and knees being sick. Another ran the lines – ‘Kiss me. I’m drunk or Irish, or whatever.’

On both sides of the Atlantic the Irish were up in arms. How dare Urban Outfitters defame the Irish people, they cried. But, in reality, the store’s only crime was telling the truth.

Whether it is in Dublin, New York or Boston, the sight of Irish people staggering around drunk or doing “Irish yoga” on the street or sidewalk is relatively common.

Next in the firing line was Nike. The sports clothing giant’s mistake was simply using color to describe one of its products.

Nike was forced to apologize after naming its new running shoe the Black and Tan in advertisements. The $90 limited edition sneaker sparked fury among certain Irish communities because they linked the name with memories of the notorious British paramilitary unit that terrorized Irish citizens during the War of Independence.

While the official name was the SB Dunk Low, adverts for the trainer read: “Tis the season for Irish beer and why not celebrate with Nike. The Black and Tan sneaker takes inspiration for the fine balancing act of a Stout (Guinness) on top a Pale Ale (Harp) in a pint glass.”

---------------------
Read more: 

Outrage as St. Patrick's Day deemed too religious and renamed "O'Green Day"

Top ten words invented in Ireland - useful for St. Patrick’s Day
---------------------

But when did Irish people become so sensitive and stuck in the past?

Yes, someone at Nike should have at least Googled the term before unofficially christening one of its running shoes Black and Tan, but surely it can be forgiven for not taking into account the troubled history of a small nation.

Irish people have succeeded not by, as Patrick Kavanagh put it, “paddling in the pools of the past”, but by reaching outwards. Irish people have always had the resilience to put the past behind them and move forward.

However, there are those who believe in an Ireland that no longer exists.

When the New York St Patrick’s Day Parade’s website recently published its set of guidelines, one stated: “The only banners allowed are ones identifying the unit or ‘England Get Out of Ireland’.”

Many may point to the apparent hurt caused by Nike or damage done by Urban Outfitters, but I can assure you that such outdated thinking does far more to put a dent in the Irish community’s reputation.

But thankfully, the Irish nation is no longer stuck in such time warp. And neither should Irish Americans.