Will Telebs learn anything from their trip back to school?

It seems that someone called Breffny an unsuccessful contestant on a reality programme who didn’t win a 12 month temporary contract on a TV3 programme called “The Apprentice” is going back to school. Great! I hear you say as we all know that your life’s chances are much better if you re-educate.
However Breffny is going back because he is of the view that his experiences are of value to second level students and what’s more he’s bringing another contestant along to share their knowledge. Breffny grew up in Cork and was sent by his Mammy to Harvard because he tells us it’s the best university in the world. Breffny now has left science behind for a world of business and celebrity. Of course Breffny’s unique view doesn’t come cheap and for 30 minutes to an hour he’s charging pupils €5.

He’s clearly spotted a business opening in Irish schools for what he describes as lunch money. He thinks he can give advice on which college to go to despite the fact that he’s been privately educated and has never studied at an Irish university. Moreover he feels able to tell pupils how to deal with stress without any qualifications. Breffny thinks he’s a good role model for young people but I wonder exactly what his qualifications are in career guidance. His favourite quote is Gordon Gecko greed is good from “Wall Street”. Given that an average year at second level school has about 100 pupils that’s €500 between the pair for the benefits of 30 minutes worth of their wisdom. Moreover given that he says he’s off to 40 schools that’s €20K between the 2 for old rope.

Breffny is one of the new breed of TV created personalities who’re famous because he’s famous. They have a short life in the public eye, proving the Andy Warhol adage that everyone can be famous for 15 minutes. I’ve no ill feeling towards him, everybody has to make a few quid in a depression and he sounds a very resourceful fellow who hopefully will find full time employment in the near future however I genuinely wonder what unique knowledge he and his partner bring to schools given that most 6th years have already filled in their CAO forms, benefit from Career Guidance and often in my experience can teach those of us. Is it just that he’s trading on the naivety of teenagers who he thinks will cough up to inhale the air in the same room as him? Where will he be when one of the students he’s advising has further problems? Will he do a follow up? I think I know the answer to that one somehow!

He says he’ll be visiting up to 40 schools nationwide. I’m astounded that there are 40 principal teachers around the country who can be taken in by this palaver. Do these principals really believe the line being peddled by Breffny? €5 is a lot to ask for where there is no verifiable or quantifiable educational outcome.
There is however a serious point in the Breffny roadshow. This type of hawking undermines people like me who highlight how families are hard hit by cutbacks in educational spending. Next time a cut is introduced, a FF TD will point out that money can be found for luxuries like these telebs then it can be found for school buses or books.
Recently retired World Boxing Champion Bernard Dunne last week announced his retirement form boxing. Bernard climber to the top in a very tough sport. He didn't go to a private school. He features in a TV ad encouraging people to learn Irish and is learning the language himself. Bernard specifically said that he'd be prepared to visit schools too. No mention of charging and other than his expenses, I'd imagine like Sean Óg Ó hAlpin who opened my childen's school 3 yearsa ago and charged nothing, he'll spend all day in a school. REal heros from sport, now which would you prefer to listen to?

Bad night for Ireland but an appalling night for Lenihan

I have often been critical of the decisions that Brian Lenihan has taken as Minister for Finance. In the last year I have blogged about how government decisions on NAMA, banking, pay and budgetary cuts have impacted on the country. As line minister Brian Lenihan is responsible for these but he acted at the behest of a collective cabinet. All ministers share the responsibility of their decisions in cabinet. I am implacably opposed to many of the decisions this government has made.

However I’m shocked at how news of the minister’s health has been released by TV3. Surely the channel that learnt just 2 days ago of the minister’s condition should have sat on the news? The minister has said that he’ll meet the press early in the new year. Do I have the right to know about the minister’s serious health concern now? I don’t think so. This is, in my view, an invasion of the minister and his families privacy. Where exactly is the line between the public’s right to know and the individual’s right to privacy? It seems to me that the TV channel has gone too far on this. While RTE reported the matter there was no reportage nor expert opinion nor indeed effective obituary of the minister as TV3 reported. I’m certain that the TV3 report will be the basis of a complaint to the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of Ireland on the basis that it infringed the Minister’s right to privacy.
Given the reality of 24 hour electronic media and the right of anyone to use this information as they see fit, it was certain that some sick clown would find the space to level at the minister and already a facebook page has been set up hoping that the minister dies of a tumour. While the TV channel is not directly responsible for the clown’s behaviour, the reality is that the page wouldn’t be there but for the nature of the news report. When TV3 comes looking for a better share of the TV license fee I wonder what the response for the government will be?
John Crown is an eminent Oncologist and advocate for a better health service in this country. I respect him greatly however tonight he did himself or his views any good by allowing himself to be interviewed in relation to the matter. The nature of a 2 minute piece to camera speculating on the possible outcomes for someone who is not his patient is bad taste. My respect for him is less tonight as indeed it is for Michael O’Leary who published ads lampooning Mary O’Rourke (Lenihan’s aunt) at the time of her own husband’s death.
There have to be boundaries in public life and the need for a different news angle so as to attract viewers cannot dictate the norms in relation to an individual’s privacy. I don’t like to attack the media but having seen TV3 tonight it deserves a rap on the knuckles this time. I now fear that tabloid papers will rush in where TV3 has gone. Nobody will come well out of this. Rightly Brian Lenihan will get the sympathy of the Irish people but the media will get a bashing that they haven’t got since the wrongly reported on the death of Liam Lawlor. Bad night for Ireland but an appalling night for the Lenihan’s. I wish him well and hope that his health recovers.