It may well be that the fractured world of podcasts and social media has robbed budget day of its overarching dramatic flair of old. But on radio, at least, the Government’s annual spending announcement can still rile people, as Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers discovers when he turns up on Tuesday’s Drivetime (RTÉ Radio 1, weekdays).
By way of welcoming the Minister, Cormac Ó hEadhra reads out a slew of complaints about the budget from homeless and disability charities. “How did you upset so many people when you had billions in surplus to spend?” the presenter asks.
Normally, this might be considered a hostile reception. But in this instance it’s the easy bit for Chambers. Such is the fallout from Jim Gavin’s withdrawal from the presidential race – Ó hEadhra can’t decide whether to call it a debacle or a calamity – that being quizzed about an unsatisfactory budget must seem like a cakewalk for the Fianna Fáil Minister, who managed the former Dublin GAA manager’s misfiring election campaign.
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