I remember when I was a young chap, I perfected the old party trick of being able to slap my head and rub my belly simultaneously. Try it. Not that easy. It reminds me of watching The Sunday Game and trying to listen to the analysis while attempting to read the tweets and texts flashing across the screen. It is virtually impossible to listen and read at the same time. So why do they bother?

The Sunday Game is not the only TV show which employs this modern media fashion of flashing viewer’s comments across the screen. The Tonight Show on TV3 does the same, as if there wasn’t enough concentration needed to dissemble what Matt and Ivan and half a dozen other guests are talking about as they all natter across each other.

It’s fashionable but futile and takes completely from the purpose of inviting commentators and experts to make sense of the topic of the day under discussion. The ticker tape of texts is just like sitting beside the pub bore who gives you his opinion in your ear while you are trying to read your paper or watch a match. People texting and tweeting using the programme hashtag only have one thing in mind and that is to see their name on the television screen. No other reason.

The same goes for radio shows inviting texts. I invite texts and tweets into our show but reluctantly so. I am so old-school in that regard, I know. My question is, how do we know if somebody is telling the truth or just playing politics when they text in about their granny lying 14 hours on a hospital trolley during a discussion on health? Anyway, aren’t we paid to ask the questions without needing the help of fed-up listeners?

When you invite texts and tweets, especially when it comes to politics, whatever about sport, seldom is the happy, satisfied, average viewer or listener going to go to the trouble. When you invite public interaction, it’s inevitable the response will come from the opposite, more contrary end of the emotional spectrum. Read the letters pages of the national newspapers and you will see the same collection of serial letter writers. For goodness sake, whatever you do, don’t tell them about this newfangled way where they can rant in real-time via the twitter machine!

We all believe in free speech but surely it doesn’t need to stretch to inviting every contrarian in the country to have their say on every damn debate or discussion on television and radio.

Secular intolerance

I wonder if the people behind this “Nope to the Pope” wheeze voted for equality and choice in the last two big referendums. If they did, do they not believe in irony?

It has to be the most petty, mean-spirited, backward, bitter and ignorant campaign I have ever come across.

Interestingly, what it has achieved is to provoke other people who equally have no time for the Pope or organised religion to come out in his defence and rubbish this numbskull campaign. It reflects the sad path we are in danger of going down in this country which was addressed brilliantly by the Irish Independent journalist John Downing when he wrote a piece under the heading recently, “Are we to replace decades of religious tyranny with a new secular intolerance?”

If people are angry about the church cover-ups relating to child abuse, that’s fine. But there are more effective ways of channelling that anger and protest rather than denying ordinary, decent people from going about their business. Ireland has earned international respect for being tolerant and inclusive. These wise guys want to change all that in a Trump-like fashion.