Not Suitable for Broadcast, Episode 8: The Hook Is Back, with George Hook. Episode 824

This week, Niall Boylan is joined by legendary broadcaster George Hook for Episode 8 of Not Suitable for Broadcast, as the two radio veterans take an unapologetic look at some of the biggest, strangest and most controversial stories of the week.

They begin with RTÉ’s continuing funding crisis and ask whether taxpayers are supporting essential public broadcasting or simply protecting an oversized and privileged organisation. With hundreds of millions of euro committed to RTÉ and television licence sales continuing to fall, has the broadcaster genuinely reformed, and should households that never watch or listen to RTÉ still be forced to fund it?

Niall and George also discuss the growing push towards a cashless Ireland. Should shops, sporting venues and essential State services be allowed to refuse notes and coins? Is cashless payment genuinely more convenient, or does it leave older people, vulnerable customers and those without access to banking technology increasingly excluded?

#824 Not Suitable for Broadcast,The Hook Is Back, Episode 8:

There is also the embarrassing moment Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan complained that she could not use the Irish language at an EU meeting, only to be told that she was perfectly entitled to speak Irish. Her response, that she had not prepared to speak it, raises questions about political point scoring and whether some politicians practise what they preach.

The pair then turn their attention to claims that Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil are centre right parties. Niall and George ask whether either party can still genuinely be described as conservative, or whether Ireland’s political and media establishment has moved so far to the left that almost anyone outside it is now branded right wing.

With a six week hosepipe ban introduced across Dublin and several other counties, they examine Ireland’s water infrastructure, years of mismanagement and the extraordinary salaries being paid within Uisce Éireann while the public is once again being ordered to conserve water.

Irish citizenship is also under the spotlight following Niall’s interview with Ben Scallan. Should applicants be required to demonstrate a basic command of English or Irish, a clean criminal record and meaningful integration before being granted an Irish passport? Is citizenship treated as a cherished privilege, or is it being handed out with far too little scrutiny?

Finally, Niall and George discuss the viral footage of a tourist being launched into the air by a bison in Yellowstone National Park and offer some very straightforward advice: do not attempt to punch a 2,000 pound wild animal in the nose.

It is sharp, funny, opinionated and definitely not suitable for broadcast.