If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it does it make a sound?

To twist that famous question around, if a government or an economy or a company is falling and there is no media around, does anybody hear or know?

OK – that’s a stupid question as of course any of those situations would impact on a whole range of people and they will know it. You would have to wonder though about the extent of the impact and peoples' knowledge if there were no mass media.

There are people in the country today that are little or no worse off than they were a year ago. While there are a painful number now out of work or facing that prospect, there are also still a lot of people working. There are also many more in work now than was the case in Ireland in the not terribly distant past.

On the face of it those people have money to spend and should, without being smug or conceited about their good fortune, feel good about themselves and their circumstances.

You won’t find too many that are though. Even consumers not directly affected by recession are now cautious about future planning and certainly about spending.

I’m not saying that ‘it’s the media’s fault’ – that’s a lazy cry – but there is no doubt that the innate need of the media as a genre to grab people’s attention with ‘new’ developments and ‘stand out’ opinion has projected issues in the economy way beyond only those directly impacted.

In the past economic and business affairs were generally a topic of specialist interest for the mass media, covered by specialists to be consumed by those with a special interest.

Today business is front page, top story news, no longer the preserve of the specialists. That creates a new interest in the public which in turn draws the media to cover it more.

The interest of one feeds the need of the other and vice versa and in jig time that dynamic becomes the driver of the coverage as much as, if not moreso than, any actual event that occurs to be covered.

It poses an interesting question as we, as a country, try to identify the bottom of our fall and the possible first step(s) to rehabilitation.

There is no doubt this country has problems to solve and that we can’t move on until they are solved. It is clearly up to those in positions of responsibility in politics and business to take the steps required to solve the primary problems.

Their actions alone won't be enough. Society in general won’t know it can move on until we are hearing, clearly and consistently, through the media that those problems either have been solved or on the way to being solved.

Somewhere along the line those in responsibility in the media will have to take a view that explaining the existence of the solutions is as important as highlighting the problems.

To take a twist again out of the saying we started with, the rebuilding of the country and its economy won’t be heard unless there is a media there to make sure we hear the story of what has happened.

It may be that the media up to now has not seen that as its role… but a lot of other things in society have changed because they have to and no one now can avoid that obligation to face change.

Tradition, convention and precedent have their places, but if they are to take a place now as leaders in society, decision makers in our media have to put convention in its place and take a more progressive perspective that in time will add to rather than challenge their standing.

Brian Cowen and speaking to business people

I was at that much commented on 'state of the nation' speech given by Taoiseach Brian Cowen to the Dublin Chamber of Commerce last week. It seems to have been generally concluded – mainly by people that were not there – that 'it's about time we heard something like that' but 'he shouldn't have reserved a speech like that for a select few and certainly not just people in business'

Instead of criticising where An Taoiseach choose to deliver his thoughts though, we should focus on the role the people in that room must play in our national recovery and why it is important that they got the key messge he set out to deliver last Thursday night.

The mention of a 10-12 per cent fall in the standard of living caught the headlines and much of the analysis of the Taoiseach's words has been on the passion of his call for a “can do” spirit, for the need of all to adopt a “community” spirit and for solidarity in the face of economic adversity.

Fundamentally though his assertion that “jobs jobs jobs has to be the priority in the coming years” was a critical and hard message to the room on the night and indeed to the world beyond.

Jobs beget jobs. Aside from the obvious direct benefit to individual citizens, the flow of income from employment is central to Exchequer and thus to the economy’s financial well being. Government for certain has to take an active role in creating and facilitating the correct conditions for, firstly, the protection and then the creation of employment. It cannot however achieve much of what needs doing without an active and committed business sector.

The Celtic Tiger era was clearly good for business. Existing businesses grew beyond their wildest previous dreams as the growing workforce created new eager consumers. In addition the combination of affluence and technology, among other factors, saw the birth of many new enterpriuses as well as complete new areas of invention and trading.

Our decade plus of continuous growth redefined businesses' expectations as to the level of success that could be acheived and the time period within which to achieve it.

Those expectations changed decision making and redefined the context for the creation and maintenance of employment. Jobs basically became easy come easy go. A business that was challenged to achieve Celtic Tiger growth rates could always look at labour cost knowing that a generally buoyant economy would sustain ample compensation and still offer opportunity for those impacted.

A consequence of our changed times is that those expectations need to be re-set. It may seem heresy to business leaders embedded in a culture of double digit growth – especially where their own reward is directly linked to achieving such figures – but that time is gone. There will be the odd 'bolter' will that bucks the trend, but they will do so by short term means in a strained market and for most the only certainty of such stand out performance is that it will not be repeated.

If business can't recalibrate its settings to lower levels of growth, or if it gets caught in the pursuit of short term boom and bust cycles of growth, there is an inevitability that jobs will continue to be unstable but without the backdrop of ready alternative opportunity.


Getting that message through is a challenge, not because people in business are either divorced from reality or are unwilling to listen. It is challenging because it is still new and it is entirely contrary to what has become normal over the past ten years. It is a culture change and culture doesn't change easily

The process of communicating it thoroughly will take time. When the object of the message is to deliver a previously unbelievable reality and where there is a need for action to follow, the most effective means of delivering the message is face to face. We all see, hear and read the mass media. What they say or print forms a substantive part of our common knowledge but it is distant and aggregated – it rarely speaks to the individual.

By contrast no medium has the effect on behaviour that word of mouth has. As Brian Cowen straightened his back to talk on Thursday last he said “I want to look at everyone in the eye and say a few things”. Those very words were a signal in themselves. By saying them he was moving to the most effective means of getting a critical message through directly to an audience without whom his Government and this country cannot get out of the economic hole it is in.

It would be wrong to set out to run the country in accordance with the direction of a communications plan (although that is not to say that some haven't tried!) At the same time well planned and structured communications is a critical component of good government. That means using different means at different times and being strategic rather than populist in the use of communications opportunities.

The direct impact on those present last Thursday night could never be achieved through mass media or through a communication aimed at addressing the population in general. Business has a fundamental role to play in keeping the country working against a backdrop of recent times where perhaps that obligation was blurred. That message needed to be said directly and discreetly.

The Taoiseach's address was a direct challenge about which no one present was left in any doubt. There is of course a need to say it again, to say something similar to other groups and certainly to address those thoughts to the nation as a whole. We must be careful however not to confuse communication for the benefit of good publicity and popular acclaim with communication to achieve a meaningful effect where action is required.

Third time...

It's been nearly four years since I was here before and much has changed again.

I'm up more these days for saying what I think. Let's see if the fingers can keep pace.

Padraig

Professional sport?

Been listening to all of the commentary about the failure of the Irish soccer team to be adventurous and attack when they went ahead against Israel last Saturday. Then was listening to Eddie Keher, the ex Kilkenny hurler talking about the way that game changed between his first year (1959) and his last in the mid 70s. It got me to thinking about the sense that there is less spontaneity in any sport that involves greater and greater preparation. Take Gaelic Football - these days preparation is at an all time high and any team can set out and plan to prevent another team playing - many do; it's the same in rugby. The more prepared - the more 'professional' the preparation - the less opportunity is afforded, or indeed tolerated, to create. Isn't it kindof counterproductive given that the supposed object of professional sport is to entertain?

Well now!!

One year and a week on - not been a very blogger have I?

Ah well let's try again. It's the early hours of the day after Easter Sunday.

One year older, one year wiser, one more kid, moved house, didn't make the parade this time - simple year really.

The parade

I was never really too bothered about St Patrick's Day until I moved to live outside Ireland - then it meant a lot more to me - not just a day off to go playing football / backing horses / drinking (take your pick depending on the year).

My 'memories' of St Patrick's Day parades were all of the old type - trucks and vans and diggers and trailers agus 'cailini deasa agus iad ag rincire an bord an leorai'.

Today I took my daughter (18 months) to see the parade in Dublin. Maybe it's a reflection of a more confident Ireland, an Ireland where people can afford to spend money on entertainment, or on providing entertainment but the parade now is just that entertainment. It was breathtaking in parts - such colour, performance - all entertainment and what work to prepare it - whether it was choreography, costumes, models, backdrops or music - it was extensive and brilliant. It's worth reflecting also the diversity of the contributors - ethnic contributions of many sounds and colours added hugely to the quality of the entertainment.

I know the weather being so good also makes it easy to enjoy, but if it stays this good, I'll set off earlier to get a better spot next time out.

justice??

I will choose to say very little on this for a whole load of reasons but I feel perturbed at the coments around the sentencing of Dermot Laide for two reasons

Firstly much is being made in the media of the relative roles and merits of all involved. That is totally irrelevant - the matter of any individual's ultimate fate in any trial must be specific to the circumstances of his/her case and conviction. What has or has not, or might or might not been done by / happen to others is completely irrelevant.

Secondly the sentence handed to any given individual has to reflect the balance of many things. In the case of Laide he has a four jail term to face, on top of being sentenced for life through the media. In complaining about leniency, that fact must be considered.

Crossmaglen

This is probably totally non PC but I thought that it was a bit ironic that apparently the Sligo football team manager arrived in Crossmaglen by helicopter yesterday due to a family committment that detained him at home earlier in the day. Apologies if anybody is offended by the reference, no offence is intended.

The ceaseless question that is - 'how important is the League'

Went to Crossmaglen yesterday to see Sligo play Armagh [brief explanation: I'm from Sligo, have been heavily involved in gaelic football since I was 9 (30 years) and up to June of last year trained the Dublin based players of the Sligo county team]. Hard day in the weather sense... and in the football sense. Hard to know too whether Sligo is making progress. I think that management and some players are learning a lot but there are some worrying signs of old habits - I suspect that a game plan, or tactics hatched before, or at half time yesterday was left in the dressing room - a frustrating experience for a manager. It was obvious that both managers yesterday, while still going for the wins, are really using the league to suss out the quality of players. Some Armagh contributors to gaaboard.com reckon they've not had the same personnel in any one line of the team in any of the five League games to date while Sligo has already used 30 players in the league, and there are a few more that would be played if available / fit and who might appear yet.

For me, judgment on whether Sligo '04 are the business or not shall remain suspended. Prior to yesterday, I was happy enough with progress. Yesterday dis-spirited me a little in that the team looked shapeless when the opposition was on top. Still... 10 weeks to go

Here we go... a step onto new ground. Don't know if I'll stick with this or get bored by it. Will probably fail due to lack of patience with pathetic keyboard skills.

Hopefully I will have the occasional random thought!!