As time goes by - October 1984
(The plinking music fades and we hear the voice of Ireland's Most Civilised Man, Sir John Bowman, for it is he.)
Welcome to Day By Day, and on this evening's . . . sorry, this morning's programme we have our usual collecction of items, em, all the, em, topics which are, em, topical. So to speak.
Later on we'll be talking to Muriel Precious of the, em, the Ballymacslob Tidy Town Committee about the, em, the, about the benefits of, indeed, having a more or less tidy town. Or village - or, perhaps street, as the case may, em, be.
Freda McGough has got the latest news on lawn mowers and we'll be having our usual feature on school uniforms.
Our special guest today is, em, Tim Pat Coogan, who will be telling us all about his lone crusade to improve the quality of the Irish potato.
So, as you can see, we have a full, em, programme this morning. All the important issues of, em, the day, perhaps.
But first to a, em, burning, or perhaps I should say, perhaps smoulldering would be a better, em, word. And that is - and, oh, by the way, if you want to make a comment on anything you hear on this morning's programme, or indeed on any other programme, or ... whatever, perhaps, the number to ring is 6034doublel. That is, if you're in Dublin it's 6034doublel. If you're outside, em, Dublin, it's still 6034doublel except you have to put an Olin, em, in front of the 6034double 1. That's because there's a dialling, em, code which you have to, em, outside Dublin you have to, em, use. So, if you're outside Dublin the number to ring is 6034doublel, with an 0 I in front of it. Which is, em, OI-6034double1. And if you're inside Dublin our nummber is, em, 6034doublel, without the, em, Olin front of it. That is, em, just 6034doublel.
Right, well, as I was saying, first we turn to an issue which has been, em, smouldering for some ... no, first we have a commercial break.
(Plinking music.)
(Meanwhile, as the adverts chortle away, 24 culchies at scattered locaations around the country are making valiant efforts to dial MOl-603411.)
(Plinking music.)
Welcome back. Before we turn to that, em, smouldering, so to speak, issue, we have some comments from listeners to yesterday's programme. On school uniforms, a Mr I. Bowman of Dublin says, "There are of course two sides to this question, as there are, em, to most questions." Very true, an insightful comment, if I might say so. And ah, I don't have his, or perhaps her full name, but a I.B. from Dublin says, "I think school uniforms, that is to say, that in the issue of school uniforms, one can see in microcosm the Great Debate which is, or should be, raging in our society in the Eighties. All human life is there." Well, thank you, J.B. and I think you may have, em, a point there. Another caller, who just gave his name as John, he says, "I listened with great interest to your four-part special on school uniforms and I must say I was rivetted. In fact, I think I can honestly say that never in the history of broadcasting has there been ... " Well, thank you, John, I think that's, well, I think that speaks for itself, em, perhaps. School uniforms: do they encourage equality at the cost of individuality? Fascinaating. One of the great, one might say, moral questions of our time.
But now to that smouldering issue.
Over the past few nights the, em, in Cabra West - which for those outside the 01 area is a, em, working class suburb of Dublin, somewhere, em, North of the Liffey , perhaps, anyway - it seems that some, em, young, em, people up there have been behaving in a particularly, em, unsocial and perhaps uncivilised way, driving around in stolen, em, cars and suchlike. We sent a reporter to Cabra, em, West last night complete with a machete and two minders and he's here with me now. What, em, what was it like out there?
Reporter: Well, I stood around on Fossuck Avenue for a while and ...
Bowperson: Do you think speeddramps would help?
Reporter: Well, a lot of people use the road, and the buses ...
Bowperson: Machine-gun emplaceements at each end of every street, would they help?
Reporter: There were a few kids hanging around the street corners and a car went by, very fast, at around
midnight, but it might have been a taxi.
Bowperson: You reckon, then, that a curfew is the answer?
Reporter: Well, when you look at what's actually happening, apart from what the media says is happening, well, frankly, Sir John, there isn't an awful lot to get worked up abo ..
Bowperson: Just a minute, I've got somebody on the line from, em, Cabra. Em, hello ... (silence) ... hello well, we seem to have lost ... hello .
Dublin accent: Hello ... Bowperson: Yes, hello, go ahead caller ...
DA: Hello, Mr Bowman, I'd just like to say that I'm sick and tired of hearing areas like ours being shafted by jumped-up disc jockeys with funny haircuts.
Bowperson: Now see here, sir, I'll have you, em, know - I'm not a disc jockey, I'm a Journalist Who Works in Radio. .
DA: A journalist what works in radio?
Bowperson: Exactly; a journalist what works in ... a journalist who, em (hangs up phone) obviously that call was passed on by mistake from Larry Gogan's Sixty Second Quiz.
Now, to a really important issue.
Here in the studio I have Muriel Precious of the Ballymacslob Tidy Town Committee. Muriel, em ...
Muriel: Hello, John.
Bowperson: Hello, Muriel, welcome.
Tell me, Muriel, em, do you think it important that your town be, em, tidy?
Muriel: Oh, vital, John, vital. Bowperson: Could you expand on that, Muriel?
Muriel: I'd be delighted to, John. Bowperson: Please do, Muriel. Muriel: I will, John.
Bowperson: Go ahead, Muriel. Muriel: Right, John. Well, first of all, we're going to get everyone in the town to wear a school uniform ...
Bowpeep: A school Uniform,
Muriel?
Muriel: A school uniform, John. Bowp: Everyone, Muriel? Muriel: Everyone, John.
Bwmn: Goodie.
Muriel: Oh, you are, John.