It's the economy, stupid. For anyone wondering why Donald Trump's support has held far firmer than polls predicted, the well-burnished chestnut about the political primacy of economic wellbeing supplies one answer. As voting gets under way in the US on Tuesday, Drivetime (RTÉ Radio 1, weekdays) carries an instructive report from a Trump heartland, a rural area where the US president enjoys rock-solid support thanks to the prosperity created on his watch.
“Donald is a very impressive president,” one impeccably polite local says, praising Trump for “creating employment”. Time and again, reporter Brian O’Connell hears similarly glowing opinions during his visit to Doonbeg.
O’Connell’s report from the Co Clare village, where Trump owns a golf resort, is a bracing rejoinder for anyone who believes that support for the divisive US president is a uniquely American phenomenon. Far from being angry culture warriors, these Irish Trump fans are upbeat and full-throated in their backing, their enthusiasm underpinned by the financial boost the resort has provided. As O’Connell notes, Doonbeg was “on its knees” in the 1980s. So it’s perhaps unsurprising that he encounters only one person in the village who admits to being a Biden supporter. Say what you like about him, Trump makes the golf carts run on time.
Never mind the stateside elections, the world of Irish pantomime is a cut-throat arena
It’s a neat piece of reportage, showing how political convictions that appear aberrant or indeed abhorrent to some, make commonsense to those holding them. But the item also suggests enlightened self-interest isn’t the only motivation behind some of Trump’s Doonbeg support. “He’s not like all the rest of them,” one man says approvingly. “He follows his own rules, he speaks his mind.” Not only the economy, so.
The Undoing: Hugh Grant is wonderfully inscrutable as he plays his greatest hits
The Crown’s Charles and Diana years: A world of privilege, glamour and tension
Dead Still: the most ‘un-RTÉ’ thing RTÉ has done in years
The return Zig and Zag on The Den: ‘People need a bit of mayhem, madness and boldness’
As for the US vote itself, Drivetime presenters Cormac Ó hEadhra and Sarah McInerney bring a lively energy to their coverage. Ó hEadhra in particular sounds in his element when he talks to Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon. Proudly declaring himself a populist, Bannon is bullish about his old boss's prospects, delivering an analysis that combines old-fashioned electoral arithmetic with more outlandish rhetoric.
Bannon thinks Republican voters are turning out in decisive numbers on “game day”, while Biden’s campaign is hamstrung by its reliance on mail-in ballots. “The mainstream media traumatised the Democratic base with this hysteria over the Chinese Communist Party virus,” he says, using the kind of swivel-eyed terminology which if encountered on social media causes one to hit the “unfriend” button.
No shrinking violet himself, Ó hEadhra engages his guest with gusto, in particular over the assertion that Covid-19 originated in a Chinese lab. He talks over Bannon so loudly that he sounds tetchily flustered by the end. But for all that he tackles such conspiracy guff, Ó hEadhra seems to enjoy the encounter. “I must say it’s a pleasure talking to you,” the host says. He sounds genuine, though it’s unclear if the feeling is mutual.
Such items help make the revamped Drivetime a zippy listen. The two hosts are gelling as a partnership, with Ó hEadhra’s close pressing style playing off McInerney’s calm but consistently probing approach. Between them, the pair cover topics in a lively yet informative manner, from McInerney’s forensic election discussion with author and former US diplomat Samantha Power to her co-host’s sceptical grilling of Minister of State Peter Burke as he attempts to explain Tánaiste Leo Varadkar’s leaking of confidential GP contracts.
As things stand, twinning the presenters has been the most inspired move in the recent reshuffle at Radio One, bringing both heat and light to the slot.
Look behind you
Simmering tension boils over on Liveline (RTÉ Radio 1, weekdays), as an overlooked sector of society voices anger at official neglect, prompting bitter recriminations of xenophobia.
Never mind the stateside elections, the world of Irish pantomime is a cut-throat arena if Joe Duffy's show is anything to go by. Duffy talks to TV presenter, panto star and producer Alan Hughes who is "heartbroken" that his show hasn't received a grant from the Government's live performance support scheme.
Hughes, known to audiences at his long-running Dublin pantomime as Sammy Sausages, is bewildered that independent producers like himself have lost out on financial aid given to other shows. Hughes highlights the grant awarded to the Limerick pantomime, noting its producer is Scottish and wondering where the tax goes. Within minutes, Duffy is fielding an outraged call from said Scots impresario, Robert Kelly, who states firmly that he pays tax in Ireland.
“To bring my race into it is absolutely shocking,” Kelly adds, leaving the host to attempt a cool rapprochement between the duelling producers.
Such drama aside, the item is an opportunity for Duffy to display his own benign populism. Never one to be snooty, he stresses the cultural importance of pantomime as well as its entertainment value, repeatedly citing the form’s uniqueness to Ireland and Britain. However, Duffy is less vocal about his own past involvement with Hughes’s panto, in which he (virtually) appeared two years ago. Still, in the absence of seasonal stage antics, the unlikely contretemps is entertainment enough.
Elsewhere, Duffy is unable to resist the pull of the American vote, which he covers in unexpectedly thorough detail. New York lawyer Christopher Nixon Cox, grandson of disgraced US president Richard Nixon, delivers a coolly insightful analysis of the count – which tilts towards a Biden win despite his own Republican loyalties – while former CIA boss John Brennan is less dispassionate, decrying Trump as an “authoritarian leader”.
But Liveline being Liveline, the real action comes from people on the ground, with callers from the US gratifyingly playing to type. Catherine sounds mournful about Biden’s vote “not holding up”, while quiet-spoken Kevin admits that Trump “doesn’t present himself well” but “he does a good job”. He also predicts that if the Democrats lose, “they’ll be out there crying and squawking”.
Whatever happens, Duffy’s phone-in suggests the States won’t be United for some time to come.
Radio Moment of the Week: Triumphant text thumps Trump
With self-confessed US politics geek Ryan Tubridy (RTÉ Radio 1) absent for presidential election week, it's left to regular stand-in host Oliver Callan to deal with the poll's aftermath on Wednesday. Texts fly in, variously damning Trump or emphasising his popularity. Callan sounds slightly frazzled, suggesting people need a distraction from the unfolding spectacle in the US. He finds it courtesy of one listener's inspired text. "Following on from Trump declaring victory," Callan reads out, "I think Mayo can now declare that they've won this year's All-Ireland." That pretty much nails it, at least until the final whistle blows.
