The summer weather may be unseasonably cool, but as The Pat Kenny Show (Newstalk, weekdays) makes clear, another kind of heat is rising uncomfortably elsewhere. “There’s no question that the political temperature in the United States has been heightened,” Pat Kenny observes after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump.
Closer to home, the heat is of a more painfully physical variety for the show’s roving reporter Henry McKean, as he gets doused in pepper spray when gardaí clash with anti-immigration protesters in Coolock, north Dublin. “I feel like I’ve had something spicy, hot Chinese,” McKean splutters, struggling to speak between coughs. “This is not looking good for society, for community relations.”
Not good indeed. Though the Trump shooting and the disturbances in Coolock are incidents of different magnitude, taken together they help create the impression of extremism and division growing ever greater. Certainly, McKean’s raw reportage of what he calls the “really ugly scenes” on Monday captures how quickly things descend into chaos. A woman is relating her concerns about the proposed refugee accommodation centre when a sudden outbreak of disorder prompts McKean to abandon the interview – “Sorry, madam” – and dive into the unfolding scene. “The guards have lost control,” he remarks as he gasps for breath.
No matter how much consultation there is, they will cause trouble
— Matt Cooper on The Last Word
The reporter, who somehow maintains his impeccably polite persona during these stressful circumstances, is typically understated as he analyses the events with Kenny the following day. He notes that problems escalated when “disenfranchised youths” came in from neighbouring Darndale for some “recreational summer rioting”. But he suggests underlying social factors are at play too: “They feel left out, they feel ignored, a lot of them come from poverty.” Equally, he notes that many local residents, particularly those from immigrant backgrounds, feel threatened by the violence. He also describes protesters’ hostility towards journalists: “A lot of strong language was used in my direction.” His reserved language notwithstanding, McKean paints a disturbing picture.
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Kenny is restrained throughout this, beyond praising his colleague as “intrepid”, but is more forthright with Minister for Public Expenditure Paschal Donohoe on Wednesday’s show. “It’s like Belfast in 1972,” is the host’s blunt characterisation. But Kenny also seeks reasons for the trouble, wondering if it’s triggered by “opportunism or malaise”. “It’s violence,” Donohoe replies curtly. If the Minister appears dismissive, it’s possibly because he’s speaking after reports emerge of an abortive plot to murder the former taoiseach Leo Varadkar. Donohoe won’t be drawn on details (“I really don’t know about all that”) but firmly states: “Political violence has become far more of an issue than we wanted.”
It’s a worrying trend that Kenny discusses with Prof Richard Petty, an Ohio State University psychologist, after the Trump shooting, with the host noting that 20 per cent of Americans now think violence is sometimes necessary to support their cause. “Hate, unfortunately, is much stronger than love in terms of motivating action,” is Petty’s glum assessment of the phenomenon. Kenny draws parallels between recent turmoil in the United States and Ireland, though he spots a key difference. “There’s one slightly reassuring element,” he says, trying not to sound too smug, “We don’t have guns on our streets; we don’t have people with an arsenal at home.” Talk about cold comfort.
Kenny gamely covers other topics, from reliable bugbears such as Dublin City Council’s restrictive traffic plan to lighter items on seasonal blockbusters and holiday destinations. But the host keeps returning to upheavals at home and abroad, bringing an admirably poised demeanour to his coverage: try as he might, Kenny can’t escape the gravitational pull of events.
The menacing atmosphere appears to grow greater with each day, be it attacks on refugee tents in Dublin or death threats to Mary Lou McDonald, the Sinn Féin leader, but Coolock remains the central focus on The Last Word (Today FM, weekdays). On Wednesday its host, Matt Cooper, is both measured and opinionated as he explores the background to the unrest, with Independent councillor John Lyons and Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín. Both politicians unequivocally condemn the rioters but decry a lack of engagement between officials and locals. Lyons says there has been no “meaningful dialogue” on the proposed refugee accommodation centre in Coolock for months, allowing disinformation to flourish via anti-immigrant protesters camped outside the earmarked site.
On the night of the Dublin riots I was advised not to go home, and I didn’t
— Leo Varadkar on Today With Claire Byrne
Cooper sounds dubious. Even if officials fully communicated with locals, he says, “these gurriers and gougers would have come and caused those problems regardless”. When Tóibín says official silence creates an information vacuum ripe for extremists, the host reiterates his point, highlighting arson attacks across the country: “No matter how much consultation there is,” he says, “they will cause trouble.”
Cooper’s guests concede that opposition may be completely eradicated but think that treating communities with honesty and respect can help avoid a more fraught future. “Immigration is here; it’s a fact of life,” says Lyons. “We have to see it as an opportunity.” Chance would be a fine thing.
Given the reported threats against him, it’s perhaps surprising that Varadkar should provide a cautiously sanguine voice on Today With Claire Byrne (RTÉ Radio 1, weekdays). Appearing after his announcement that he won’t stand for election again, Varadkar casts doubt on Byrne’s suggestion that anti-immigrant sentiment mightn’t be so open if housing were in better shape: “Not necessarily,” he retorts. “Worldwide, whatever the problem is, migrants get the blame.”
Though Byrne doesn’t inquire into the alleged assassination plot, the former taoiseach is also frank about the risk of violence he has faced in politics: “On the night of the Dublin riots I was advised not to go home, and I didn’t.” But Varadkar adds he has nonetheless managed to lead some semblance of a normal life, something not always possible in other nations. “We’re still a relatively safe country,” he insists.
One hopes he’s right. There are some long hot summers you could do without.
Coolock clashes: 'A complex and volatile security threat'
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