Bradley Bytes – A sort of political column by Dara Bradley

It would be like the GAA championship in full swing, without the return of The Sunday Game; or the build-up to Christmas without the Late Late Toy Show.

How on earth RTÉ is getting away without broadcasting Callan’s Kicks on RTÉ Radio One for the past two months is a mystery.

It may, or may not, return to the airwaves tonight. But it is scandalous to think that this popular political satire show was missing in action during a busy period for political news.

Controversy after controversy has been crying out for Oliver Callan’s incisive commentary and sharp parody but the licence fee payers are short-changed.

Callan’s Kicks was off-air when a Government was formed, with more ministers than ever. There was no programme during the election of An Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, which was delayed by a day due to the grubby little deal done with Independent Government backbenchers like Michael Lowry, who wanted the perks of power while pretending to be in opposition.

There was radio silence during President Michael D Higgins’ storm in a teacup over the Holocaust memorial; no programme poking fun at the Seanad elections; and no programme about the Government’s delayed and inadequate reaction to a real storm, Éowyn, which caused power outages for a fortnight in rural parts of Galway.

This stuff was ripe for lampooning, and that’s before you even mention the return of Donald Trump to the White House and all the batshit crazy stuff that he has come out with and done since.

RTÉ, meanwhile, supposedly the pulse of the nation, hasn’t broadcast a 30-minutes political satire programme since its end-of-year Callan’s Kicks special last December. Why?

Pictured: It’s disgraceful that RTÉ hasn’t broadcast the popular political satire show Callan’s Kicks during a hectic period for political news.