Joe Brolly is a martyr for free-speech… apparently.
The RTE pundit caused his usual bout of controversy last weekend when he compared Cavan’s ‘ugly’ style of play to his colleague Marty Morrissey’s physical appearance. This week he’s using Sunday Independent column to argue for the importance of free speech, even if it can occasionally lead to people being offended.
“The beauty of RTE is that, unlike other broadcasters, its ethos, up until now at least, permits us to be fearless,’ Brolly writes. ‘The deal is simple. Speak your mind. Let the dice fall where they may.”
Those “other broadcasters” are, according to Brolly, the BBC, but mostly Sky Sports.
“Bill O’Herlihy, God rest him, kicked off for the soccer lads. Michael Lyster throws in for us. The result is real, unpredictable debate. The sort of debate and philosophising that happens in our own homes, or in the pub or in GAA clubs around the country. The sort of stuff that goes to the heart of the matter. Sometimes raw, sometimes over the top, sometimes angry, sometimes funny. That is to say, real.”
“In stark contrast to the Rose of Tralee world created by other broadcasters, where everything is nice and the only sentences uttered are safe cliches. Think BBC’s Match of the Day or Sky, whose policy is to keep the Premier League sweet and never rock the boat.”
“Sky have a similar approach here. The GAA hierarchy will never be challenged. Nor will the GPA. It’s like watching young mormons. If nothing is said, nobody can be unhappy.”
Brolly went on to address former Donegal manager, and current Sky GAA pundit, Jim McGuinness. “It is unsurprising that in his column in The Irish Times last week, Jim McGuinness chose to mount an attack on what I see as RTE’s free speech ethos,” Brolly writes.
“As we saw when he managed Donegal, Jim’s guiding principle is control. He dominated nearly every aspect of his players’ lives.”
Brolly describes how, when McGuinness took over the county’s football side: ‘players’ mobile phones were confiscated after team talks on the morning of big games. An atmosphere of paranoia surrounded the squad.”
“Jim’s use of the word ‘respect’ in his column struck me.”
Is Brolly right to defend RTE’s mantra of ‘free-speech’? Or is his column just a long winded attempt to get a few digs in at rivals and justify calling a man ‘ugly’ on live television?
You can read the entire column here.
