We shouldn’t confuse a prima donna with the real McCoy

GEORGE Lee has made an eejit of himself. The biggest loser in George Lee’s series of decisions to exit RTÉ and now return is himself. He has reduced his broadcasting and political careers to a media circus. Within a week, this will have evaporated.

He then will be left with the debris of poor judgment and a petulant character. While there must be sympathy on a personal level for a sincere man and his family, he will have to accept that he has been the author of his own misfortune.

This meteoric rise and fall provides a narrative on the comparisons between a career in politics and the media. Having spent more than 20 years in the former and now dabbling in the latter, I feel reasonably placed to contrast the characteristics of both. At a profound level, people involved in politics at every level from party branch volunteer to leader have an essence of public service. This vocational aspect of their motivation and commitment is rarely visible in a cynical world. My media colleagues tend to be full of charisma and personality, but at heart are vulnerable egomaniacs.