I’M NOT PRIVY to the internal polling and focus groups Fianna Fáil are doing on Jim Gavin’s campaign. I’m going to guess the scores are not good.
The debate on Monday night was comically poor for Gavin, up to the point where neutrals began to feel more sorry for him than they did for Mayo circa 2013-20.
Gavin has received plenty of expensive media and PR training since launching his bid for the Arás. I, or pretty much anybody, could offer him some better, free advice: relax. Things are going badly now, and will continue to do so with this approach, so you might as well just be yourself – a generally considerate and smart guy.
There will be plenty of missteps along the way with the guard lowered. But if Gavin levels with the public, admits he’s not an experienced political campaigner and, as a result, may drop the odd howler, then most will receive him in good faith.
But letting the personality through is maybe not so easy for Gavin now. He’s part of a GAA culture, engendered by managers such as himself, that seeks control; prefers a tight script over spontaneity or public signs of being human.
The big three: Catherine Connolly, Jim Gavin and Heather Humphreys. Alamy Stock Photo
Alamy Stock Photo
This blocking-out-the-noise approach, they’ll argue, helps with the winning of games. It’s never an argument that feels convincing, but in Gavin’s case, he can point to results. We can never know if his Dublin team would have been just as successful were they not secretive and silent.
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What we do know is that when it comes to the real world, this approach does little for you.
In a political campaign, few will feel compelled to vote for someone they don’t feel they know. There has to be some kind of alignment of spirit for you to tick the box next to the name. It’s hard to find common ground with a man who is reading from a mental script; a proponent of rote learning over substance.
Having a script in this case is futile. It’s not like the Dublin job or the rules of Gaelic football, where somebody of Gavin’s diligence and intellect can get fully across the brief. The brief is way too broad now to have every answer prepped.
What do you make of the latest atrocity in Gaza, the housing crisis, crime rate, environmental concerns around flooding in north Dublin, Donald Trump’s most recent post, and the closure of a factory in Meath? There isn’t a drone that flies high enough to give you a vantage point over every issue. All you can reasonably do is bring your character to bear.
Who am I? What do I stand for?
Then just speak honestly on the questions as they come. And if sections of the media or social media want to twist your words, isolate them from context and land cheap shots, so be it. That’s beyond anybody’s control. But fair-minded, reasonable people will be ok with you. If you don’t believe that cohort is still in the majority, then what’s the point of being president in the first place?
If he’s looking for examples of how to conduct himself publicly, Gavin could do worse than follow some of his former players. Michael Darragh MacAuley has articulated concerns about the NFL in Croke Park. David Byrne has done likewise about the Allianz sponsorship of the leagues. Philly McMahon has spoken on a variety of social issues with confidence.
Courage of his convictions: Michael Darragh Macauley. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
People can and have agreed or disagreed with what they have said. But they are respected as men willing to speak their truth.
This reflects well on the Dublin group they were part of. They clearly grew as people by being part of that squad. It’s just a shame we didn’t hear more from them when they were playing. What greater benefit is there to amateur sport than the chance to develop confidence to stand up straight in the world and say your piece?
The general GAA culture now can be stifling and against self-expression. You can see this with a lot of the more recent player-turned-pundits. They’re not saying anything wrong, but not really saying anything right either. It’s bloodless and forgettable.
There are exceptions. Richie Hogan has fast become my favourite new pundit, while at the same time being the one I disagree most with. It is refreshing to hear someone voice original thoughts and not give too much of a damn about where the chips may fall.
He was happy to talk more as a player, but it’s clear from his book that the manager wasn’t so keen on that. Like the greatest football team of all, the most decorated hurlers went largely unknowable in their sporting prime.
This may be no great tragedy to you, and can be dismissed as someone working in the media having a whinge about media access. Maybe that’s so. I’d argue I’m coming at this from the perspective of somebody who wants to see the GAA inter-county world chill out a little. It’s too important to be approached with such po-faced seriousness.
And the presidential race should at least offer a bit of intrigue beyond cringing at somebody out of their element.
For now, Jim Gavin is fumbling around like a character from The Thick of It, desperately trying to land his message with the Quiet Bat People, while his every act takes him further from his true self and the affections of the electorate.
It’s not too late to ditch a losing gameplan and play it as you see it.
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Relax Jim, it's time to ditch the losing gameplan and be yourself
I’M NOT PRIVY to the internal polling and focus groups Fianna Fáil are doing on Jim Gavin’s campaign. I’m going to guess the scores are not good.
The debate on Monday night was comically poor for Gavin, up to the point where neutrals began to feel more sorry for him than they did for Mayo circa 2013-20.
Gavin has received plenty of expensive media and PR training since launching his bid for the Arás. I, or pretty much anybody, could offer him some better, free advice: relax. Things are going badly now, and will continue to do so with this approach, so you might as well just be yourself – a generally considerate and smart guy.
There will be plenty of missteps along the way with the guard lowered. But if Gavin levels with the public, admits he’s not an experienced political campaigner and, as a result, may drop the odd howler, then most will receive him in good faith.
But letting the personality through is maybe not so easy for Gavin now. He’s part of a GAA culture, engendered by managers such as himself, that seeks control; prefers a tight script over spontaneity or public signs of being human.
This blocking-out-the-noise approach, they’ll argue, helps with the winning of games. It’s never an argument that feels convincing, but in Gavin’s case, he can point to results. We can never know if his Dublin team would have been just as successful were they not secretive and silent.
What we do know is that when it comes to the real world, this approach does little for you.
In a political campaign, few will feel compelled to vote for someone they don’t feel they know. There has to be some kind of alignment of spirit for you to tick the box next to the name. It’s hard to find common ground with a man who is reading from a mental script; a proponent of rote learning over substance.
Having a script in this case is futile. It’s not like the Dublin job or the rules of Gaelic football, where somebody of Gavin’s diligence and intellect can get fully across the brief. The brief is way too broad now to have every answer prepped.
What do you make of the latest atrocity in Gaza, the housing crisis, crime rate, environmental concerns around flooding in north Dublin, Donald Trump’s most recent post, and the closure of a factory in Meath? There isn’t a drone that flies high enough to give you a vantage point over every issue. All you can reasonably do is bring your character to bear.
Who am I? What do I stand for?
Then just speak honestly on the questions as they come. And if sections of the media or social media want to twist your words, isolate them from context and land cheap shots, so be it. That’s beyond anybody’s control. But fair-minded, reasonable people will be ok with you. If you don’t believe that cohort is still in the majority, then what’s the point of being president in the first place?
If he’s looking for examples of how to conduct himself publicly, Gavin could do worse than follow some of his former players. Michael Darragh MacAuley has articulated concerns about the NFL in Croke Park. David Byrne has done likewise about the Allianz sponsorship of the leagues. Philly McMahon has spoken on a variety of social issues with confidence.
People can and have agreed or disagreed with what they have said. But they are respected as men willing to speak their truth.
This reflects well on the Dublin group they were part of. They clearly grew as people by being part of that squad. It’s just a shame we didn’t hear more from them when they were playing. What greater benefit is there to amateur sport than the chance to develop confidence to stand up straight in the world and say your piece?
The general GAA culture now can be stifling and against self-expression. You can see this with a lot of the more recent player-turned-pundits. They’re not saying anything wrong, but not really saying anything right either. It’s bloodless and forgettable.
There are exceptions. Richie Hogan has fast become my favourite new pundit, while at the same time being the one I disagree most with. It is refreshing to hear someone voice original thoughts and not give too much of a damn about where the chips may fall.
He was happy to talk more as a player, but it’s clear from his book that the manager wasn’t so keen on that. Like the greatest football team of all, the most decorated hurlers went largely unknowable in their sporting prime.
This may be no great tragedy to you, and can be dismissed as someone working in the media having a whinge about media access. Maybe that’s so. I’d argue I’m coming at this from the perspective of somebody who wants to see the GAA inter-county world chill out a little. It’s too important to be approached with such po-faced seriousness.
And the presidential race should at least offer a bit of intrigue beyond cringing at somebody out of their element.
For now, Jim Gavin is fumbling around like a character from The Thick of It, desperately trying to land his message with the Quiet Bat People, while his every act takes him further from his true self and the affections of the electorate.
It’s not too late to ditch a losing gameplan and play it as you see it.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
GAA Jim Gavin the sport of politics