Villian or victim? I can’t make my mind up about Ryan Tubridy

Ryan Tubridy has been the centre of attention over the last few weeks. I have followed the televised Oireachtas Committee hearings and listened to numerous conversations and interviews on the radio and in the print media and after all that, I am still unsure how I feel about the man himself.

Is he a villain or a victim? Is he, as some have suggested, a practised performer looking for sympathy or is he really just a guy with little interest in money who put his trust in others to look after his financial interests and genuinely didn’t know what was going on? I can’t decide.

There are aspects of the whole controversy that leave me scratching my head and part of that fog is down to the Oireachtas Committees. The T.D.’s and Senators on both committees were tasked with getting to the truth so we could all have a better understanding of what exactly took place in RTE.

After two weeks of questioning the various witnesses, I am no wiser. The committee members themselves admitted afterwards to being as confused as ever. They blamed the witnesses for not being forthcoming with their answers, but they must shoulder some of the responsibility. The standard of interrogation left a lot to be desired.

It seemed to me that some committee members had no strategy. They were more interested in showboating and promoting themselves as the people’s champion than actually getting answers. Others appeared to be ill-prepared, rambled incoherently or simply used most of their allocated time delivering monologues.

Occasionally they lost the run of themselves and became repetitive or resorted to aggression and rudeness. They were frustrated at times and justifiably so. It was difficult to get straight answers to direct questions and frequently the answers had to be dragged from the witnesses, but they should have anticipated that.

I worked with some very skilled interrogators in my time in An Garda Siochana who knew about getting to the truth. They had techniques. When they interviewed a suspect, they had a plan and a set of carefully scripted questions. Over a period of time with skilful interrogation, they established the facts.

OK, there were some who used unlawful methods of interrogation and we’ve all heard those stories, but the real professionals had no need to resort to those tactics. They relied on their training, professionalism and skill, none of which were in evidence at the Oireachtas meetings.

So now I am left sitting on the fence about Ryan Tubridy and whether or not he should return to the airwaves. Initially, I thought his career was over. When I saw two hundred of his colleagues standing together outside the RTE studios in Montrose in silent protest, I wondered how he could ever face them again?

After seeing him testifying, I changed my opinion slightly. I developed a degree of sympathy for him but there were many who argued it was all an act. Some said his performance wasn’t credible. Like him or not though, you have to admit, the guy has been through the wringer.

Let me say at the outset, I don’t have a strong opinion on Tubridy either way. I was never a fan of The Late Late Show, not because I didn’t like it, I just wasn’t interested in it. I did listen to Tubridy’s morning radio show over the years. I even participated in it on a couple of occasions and found him to be a very pleasant character.

Tubridy always came across to me as an honest, genuine, down to earth guy. A talented presenter who has a great way with kids and who enjoys interacting with them. He seems to enjoy being recognised by children across the land as the ‘Toy Man’ and he has a reputation for being approachable.

He also has a reputation for being generous with his time when it comes to supporting various charities and worthy causes, so I did have some sympathy for him when I watched him appearing before those committees. He looked tired, strained and at times had difficulty maintaining his composure. Six hours of grilling in the full glare of the nation would rattle most people.

During my working life in An Garda Siochana, I did occasionally appear in court to face inquisitors. Trained lawyers who didn’t shy away from tearing lumps out of you if they thought it would benefit their client. Their clients deserved that too so there was no animosity in those exchanges; it was part of the process.

Even so, taking the stand could at times be uncomfortable but it was never personal. The prosecution presented their best case, the defence tore holes in it whenever they could, and a judge or a jury decided who the winner was. Exchanges may have been robust occasionally, but they were mostly respectful.

There was stress too. A mistake in giving evidence could result in a case being thrown out. Half an hour in a witness box could knock the sweat out of you, never mind the six hours that Tubridy faced.

Tubridy claimed to have little interest in the financial side of his business and left that to his agent. I get that. My wife looks after our accounts because I’m useless with money. My financial situation is far from complicated, and I have nothing to hide but if I had to face questions about my pay, pension and personal finances I would struggle. It wouldn’t take long to tie me in knots and after six hours I would be babbling incoherently and begging for mercy.

This story has a long way to go yet and it’s important to get to the truth of the matter. That will be impossible unless the committees get their act together and cut out the grandstanding.