Radio, like nature itself, can play cruel tricks on us. Among our current affairs broadcasters, the one who seemed most connected to the zeitgeist in 2025, was Pat Kenny on Newstalk. Pat is nearly as old as Donald Trump, which in the gerontocracy that is American politics would make him a mere beginner – but which in Irish daytime broadcasting has perhaps been a factor in his stepping back from the frontline, to work weekends in the new year.