Dáil is like celebrity TV show — only far less popular
Why so many millions are enthralled at watching the mindless carry-on of publicity seekers prepared to submit themselves to revolting experiences defeats me.
On this occasion, the one redeeming factor was that by enduring the attention of the kind of creatures which would normally have you reaching to phone the exterminators, Kerry McFadden has done a major favour for Temple Street Children's Hospital in Dublin and the Variety Club of Ireland.
By emerging as Queen of the Jungle, she has raised a considerable amount of money to buy badly needed equipment for the hospital and also to help the Variety Club help other children.
In both cases, no politician can claim any credit for doing either.
Possibly, with the way the Government is screwing up our health system, Ms McFadden's unorthodox method of raising money for hospitals is the way to go.
Sometimes, even quite often, people who try to improve our hospitals and health service must feel as traumatised and fatigued as those who exposed themselves to so many indignities in the Australian jungle.
Maybe the reason so many people in this country watched the programme, apart from the Irish interest, was that it was more compelling than politics.
Even the politicians probably found it more compelling. It might explain why there were so few in the Dáil chamber when Beverly Cooper Flynn stood up to explain the circumstances of the latest controversy surrounding her and her father, Padraig Flynn.
If Celebrity is reality television, the Dáil must be the set for reality or maybe virtual reality politics.
It would appear, though, that Ryanair is somewhat removed from reality entirely. In a response to a letter from a reader to this newspaper, the company claimed that "Ryanair does not and has never charged for wheelchair assistance at an airport".
This no-frills statement from the company is a bit perplexing, and is as near the truth as it would be to suggest that the low-budget carrier plies its passengers with champagne. Ryanair is flying in the face of fact when it makes this claim, or, alternatively, Bob Ross imagined he had to fork out stg£18 to hire a wheelchair when he went to check in at the desk at Stansted Airport.
However, a court in Britain decided that Mr Ross was not hallucinating when he had to pay for the use of a wheelchair, and Judge Crawford Lindsay QC ruled Ryanair acted unlawfully by not ensuring a free wheelchair was provided.
The judge also awarded him £1,336 in compensation, which comprised £36 for hiring the wheelchair on his outward and inward trip to Perpignan in France, the purchase of a wheelchair by him which cost £300, and £1,000 for injury to his feelings.
The case against Ryanair was taken by the Disability Rights Commissioner, who now wants the airline to pay compensation to 35 people who have complained about paying the wheelchair charge. If they don't, the commissioner will start a group action against the airline. I think he would want to start looking for a good brief, because the chances of Ryanair coughing up are as good passengers getting champagne.
Ryanair is appealing the Ross decision out of the goodness of its heart so that "neither Mr Ross nor any disabled passenger should pay anything for disabled assistance through a terminal building".
The company maintains that the issue here is that it's the responsibility of the airport owner/operator to provide disabled assistance on a free-of-charge basis through terminal buildings which, it claims, happens at the majority of European airports.
It also makes the point that Stansted Airport is one of the most profitable airports in the world and it is not much to ask that they provide disabled access through the public building which they own and operate.
Something which is a sore point with Ryanair is that Mr Ross flew to the south of France for just £10 and they believe "it is unfair to ask Ryanair to spend almost double this fee (£18)" to provide him with wheelchair assistance through a building they don't own or operate.
Obviously, their policy towards the disabled who need a wheelchair on one of their flights is "don't leave home without one", to borrow a phrase from American Express.
IT'S a bit two-faced for Ryanair to suggest that because Stansted Airport is successful, they could absorb the wheelchair expense. The airline isn't exactly on the breadline itself, having made something like €250 million profit last year.
It may or may not be an issue that airport authorities should provide the wheelchairs, but in claiming that they never charged for wheelchair assistance Ryanair is being disingenuous.
Why else do they have to appeal a court decision that they do? And why, if they claim they never imposed the charge, do they plan to impose a 50p wheelchair levy (the best part of €1) on every passenger flying with the company in future?
I'm not sure how many wheelchair passengers they carry per year, but that levy should be a handy little earner. Maybe they should consider the pilgrimage business to Lourdes.
The controversy about the airline and the wheelchairs in some way reminds me of that other ridiculous row at Manchester United which, at this stage, has gone into extra time. This row is also about money, millions of it, with greed at the core.
Men who have more money than they could ever spend in several lifetimes are arguing about getting more of it through the romantic endeavours of a horse called Rock of Gibraltar.
John Magnier made the mistake originally of giving Alex Ferguson a 50% interest in the animal, and he is now insisting on 50% of the stud fees and is suing for it. I can't help feeling that right is on the side of John Magnier and JP McManus, but it's still an unedifying saga to watch multimillionaires grasping at more millions.
It's gone to the stage where mad Man Utd fans have disrupted race meetings and are now threatening to disrupt Cheltenham in their blind support of Alex Ferguson, a man who was behind the door when charm was being given out.
Having increased their interest in the club to 28.9% at a cost of €30m, peanuts to the Irishmen, the extreme elements of fans must have felt like they got a kick from a horse.
It would be difficult to describe them as sports fans, because their ridiculous fanaticism is threatening one of the greatest events in the horse racing calendar and the enjoyment of about 60,000 people.
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