Gay Byrne named head of Road Safety Authority

[David Cochrane]

Roll it there Gay, er, maybe not.....

Gay Byrne is to spearhead the Government’s drive to cut the number of people killed on the nation’s roads, it emerged today. The former Late Late Show host was unveiled as chairperson of the new Road Safety Authority (RSA) by Transport Minister Martin Cullen. - BreakingNews.ie

[SPN]

Gaybo will be interviewed by Matt Cooper on TodayFM shortly.

[campbeca]

"OK, alright, here we go"


Has gaybo ever fallen off his harley or anything like that i can complain about?

[BarryW]

Even a man with Gay Byrne's energy and enthusiasm will have a tough job of this one, given that his predecessor resigned in despair at the lack of commitment to the issue from the Government and the sheer incompetence of the Minister for Transport

[smiffy]

Hang on a minute - am I missing something?

Does Gay Byrne have any qualifications whatsoever which might make him suitable for this position? Does he know anything about transport policy, or public safety or the promotion of public policy? What does he know about chairing an organisation like this? What's he getting this job for, and what does his appointment say the government's view of this position, and of the authority?

According to Martin Cullen:

His appointment underlines the seriousness that this Government is giving to road safety and to bringing an end to carnage on our roads.

I think that's very true, but probably not in the way that he intended it.

[Justin]

"OK, alright, here we go"


Has gaybo ever fallen off his harley or anything like that i can complain about?

He was put into a ditch when cycling in Donegal though.My uncle was responsible 8)

[Hooked]

Gaybo head of the Road Safety Authority! While I have the height of respect for Gay as the yardstick by which live TV hosts will be measured in this country for a long time, it is hard to take this seriously. He is an entertainer.

What next?

Daniel O'Donnell to head up the HSE ( Well old people like him )

Twink to be the new Telecoms regulator.

Dustin to become head of the Labour Court.

Now if Cullen had appointed Geldof.....

[Catalpa]

I'd say the biggest plus in having Gaybo at the helm is his nationwide recognition factor. If Gaybo says this that or the other then people are going to hear about it and the Government will have to listen.

Eddie Shaw is a gentleman and a person with a wide experience of business. I can vouch for that personally.The fact that someone of his intelligence and integrity felt that he could not carry on in the job means it's the medium as much as the message that's important here about actually getting anything done.

[commentator]

I agree with Catalpa. Few people in Irish life have a greater "recognition factor" than Byrne and he is a man of energy and competence having carved out an enviably successful career. I doubt he claims to be expert and no doubt will have other qualified people on the committee with him.

He is however a person the public listens to and admires and Cullen will ignore his committee at his peril. I welcome this development.

[smiffy]

I agree with Catalpa. Few people in Irish life have a greater "recognition factor" than Byrne and he is a man of energy and competence having carved out an enviably successful career.

In a completely separate field.

I doubt he claims to be expert and no doubt will have other qualified people on the committee with him.

Is there any reason to believe that he is in any way qualified to even serve on a state board, let alone chair one (BTW, I'm well aware of how appointments to state boards are made, so an argument along the lines of 'all appointments are exercises in political cronyism' would be pretty redundant).

He is however a person the public listens to and admires and Cullen will ignore his committee at his peril. I welcome this development.

Well, you claim it's 'his committee'. However, unless he is extremely skilled at managing an agency like this (in terms of strategic vision, as opposed to the day-to-day management which would fall to the CEO) it's likely to be just another back-slapping government body that achieves absolutely nothing.

Still, I guess it's a clever move on the part of the government, given that it's likely that all the comment on it will be of the 'Ho ho ho, what's next - Pat Kenny as head of Coillte' type, rather than actually looking at the issue of road safety and what this body might actually achieve.