'Rip Off Republic' presenter in warning to Govt
Financial guru Eddie Hobbs today vowed his hit television show ‘Rip Off Republic’ will be back if consumers don’t get better value for money.
The Corkman said he was surprised by the public reaction to his four-part series, which has drawn huge audiences and provoked the outrage of Government politicians.
Mr Hobbs promised the controversial programme would return to our screens if the cost of goods and services didn’t come down.
“If the problems don’t get sorted out. I’ll be back. I’m not going to stay mute,” he said.
“They need to be sorted out and there’s breathing time to do it.
“The reaction to the show has taken everybody by surprise, including me. It reflected what a lot of people are thinking and feeling.”
The 42-year-old financial expert said the show seems to have struck a chord with people because it opened up a debate.
“The scale of the public reaction to it – the letters, the phonecalls and the emails pouring in … I wasn’t prepared for the scale of the amplification,” he added.
Mr Hobbs said Ireland had a low-tax economy in theory but people were unaware of the extent of indirect taxes and now wanted good value for their euro.
“In the average European country, they have a thing called a transport system, they have a thing called a health system, they have places that work,” he said.
“They don’t have the public getting as animated about not getting value for money as you have in Ireland.”
Mr Hobbs rejected criticism that the show was biased and explained that politicians had plenty of opportunity to respond to it on the airwaves.
He said he didn’t want to get involved in confrontation with Taoiseach Bertie Ahern’s comments on the show.
Mr Ahern admitted at the weekend that he hadn’t seen the shows but added: “Eddie Hobbs is very good but he is not a factual person on these issues.
Mr Hobbs responded: “I’m not going to get involved in a head-to-head with Bertie Ahern.”
He said tickets to the show were free and were available on websites but no politicians attended.
Admitting he had a conflict of interest in some of the financial sectors covered on the show, he added many of his clients will find that he has “gone onto their turf”.
He also claimed his charges for private clients had been exaggerated in the media.
Mr Hobbs said the hype around the series had been a bit surreal.
“But I’ve been around a while and I’ve had my ups and down in my life. I wasn’t going to get carried away,” he said.
“It’s going to start a debate and it’s now for better minds to take it over.
“It’s a matter for RTE, but if things don’t change, I’m sure I’ll be back.”
The four-part series will conclude tonight with the focus on banking, insurance, childcare and competition law.
“I would be delighted to see politicians coming out across the political divide engaging in a debate and coming up with solutions. That’s what they are there for,” he added.
