Gavan Reilly: Politics by press release is a mirage, not an Oasis

I’ve remarked here a few times over the years that my favourite genre of political press release is where politicians welcome actions that they themselves are responsible for. “Minister X welcomes publication of Miscellaneous Bill,“ is a classic of the genre. “Minister Y welcomes cabinet decision on ABC” is another.

A subgenre of this is press releases where politicians demand action and things that it is within their gift to deliver. There was a variation on this theme at Beal na Bláth last weekend, when Simon Harris said the proceeds of selling the government’s bank shares should be reinvested in housebuilding. Interesting idea, Simon: you should say it to the Taoiseach.

This genre reached a new height last weekend, after the fenzy and subsequent calamity of trying to buy tickets for Oasis next summer. No fewer than three Fine Gael figures issued statements decrying the phenomenon of ‘surge pricing’ where, with touts now forbidden from charging more than face value for a ticket, predatory promoters themselves simply increase the face value they charge.

What you might miss from this is that control of the ticketing sphere lies with the Department of Enterprise, controlled by… yes. Fine Gael’s Peter Burke. And while banning surge pricing would probably require a full Act of the Oireachtas – which isn’t going to be conceived from scratch, and passed, this late in the term – there are existing regulations, requiring theatre advertisements to display ticket prices and applicable fees, which could be expanded at the stroke of a pen.

It is therefore open to a Fine Gael minister to sign new regulations, almost on the spot, demanding transparency not alone on the range of ticket prices, but how many tickets are available at each price point.

But which is better politics: making a quick change to meaningfully address a concern; or making a song and dance about it in the first place?