The Martin/Harris era will be remembered personally as a time of unprecedented national wealth with little or nothing to show for it. When this prosperity passes we will tighten the national purse strings again and ride it out. And the wheel of mismanagement will eventually spin again. But starting from an even worse position.
We have an incompetent political class. The only thing I can't work out is if it's by design. If Martin/Harris (as proxies for their parties) are wilfully letting the country get worse, are paralyzed by fear of doing the wrong thing, or genuinely believe current policies are working or will eventually work.
All that is brilliant about Ireland, all that keeps me here, is innate in us as a people and a land. Beyond low corporation tax and FDI (not the current politicians' idea), what exactly has been done? Where is the ambition? The passion to improve the country for future generations?
There is no attempt to improve, they just try to manage the decline. I wonder how much of the Irish political classes have ever lived and worked overseas?
We are so fucked. I was thinking about a previous essay in this series where you described the 'opt out' of private health insurance or private schools...and thinking about the generous grants for solar panels that will create another two tier system in Ireland: people who own houses and can power their home and cars with solar energy, and people who rent or live in apartments and can no longer afford to heat their homes. The solar powered, housed tier will be able to opt out of the battles against data centres and the cost of living crisis.
I self-identify as a relatively comfortable (not as comfortable as I should be though!) opter-out. Not happy about that but it is true. And it is for exactly the reasons the author previously described- I have zero confidence in this goverment providing even the basics of what I and my family need.
And I am fortunate I can opt-out. There but for the grace...
What an indictment of the country it is to say that people who do everything right (work, contribute, stay the right side of the law etc etc) are being let down at every point.
I do think "someone else" will get a shot at running the country. But I'm certain it will happen when the horse has bolted and all of this delicious corporate tax money has dried up.
hi: good analysis. very pertinent to the failure of Irish Education. I do feel that the analysis is missing two additional aspects:
1. the 'laager' approach that is endemic to irish public service bodies whereby the permanent government has creates defensive circles around them to maintain their power and benefits. these include: creating semi-state and other public bodies to distance them from public scrutiny; the use of elected representatives to shield them further and the use of legislation to further embed their control and power.
2. the impact of recent crises ie the financial crash of 2008+ and the covid emergency of 2020. both of these were used by the permanent government to bring a level of control and centralisation beyond what existed previously and what is the norm in other european countries. this power has been taken from accountable elected representatives and local bodies. It is reinforced by the use of regulations and directives nominally issued in the name of the relevant minister.
3. the collapse of policy and decision making capacity within political parties exacerbated by the constant stream of 'crises' that face government daily ensuring that a paralysis now exists in government whereby nothing can be done. some conspiracy theorists suggest that some of these crises are accelerated by the permanent government to keep politicians busy!
regards, ken
PS: the permanent government differs to the civil service in that it comprises senior civil servants together with the CEOs of major public and semi-state bodies!
Good point generally about the lack of decision-making power at local authority level. Though I don't think Ireland is so big that centralised decision-making can't work perfectly well.
If anything, Covid proved that centralised decision-making can happen quickly and to extraordinary effect when the will is there. Eoghan Murphy in his reflections on his time government talks about this in detail. But it requires cross-department collaboration and action. That's all too rare.
If I were being cynical, I'd say it's simply that nothing in the country registers enough as a crisis to FF/FG politicians personally to provoke action. And that ministers, Taoisigh and TDs are too concerned about their own careers and little empires.
I’m going to send this article to everyone in my contacts. I know people are sick of me banging on about Palestine, imperialism, our own government’s complicity…in all of this. We are on a continuum here. Irish people losing their homes, ordinary people paying taxes whose lives are becoming more fragile and difficult as every day passes and people like the Sudanese, Lebanese, Cubans, Palestinians - on the very sharp end of this continuum. The people damaging us are exactly the same people carrying out genocide and ecocide. The very same people. And our government is owned by these people. There is, as Sinead brilliantly points out, a huge level of uselessness but there is also a huge level of deliberate disregard for the law, for justice, for decency, for the possibility of investing in ourselves properly, in doing the right thing based on our own sad and violent history. The result for Irish people is virtual treason by FF/FG and Deliberate illiberal policies that damage us all, erode our agency both individually, as a community and as a country. We need the left wing parties to start pulling themselves together do that we have a genuine alternative to the last 100+ years of bullsh*t
This all ends badly and I don't mean just economically, real civil strife is inevitable at this stage because no attempt to fix the country will happen, it will just slide further and further into a low trust high violence society where you are on your own essentially,
A few weeks back I sat in my car at the local shops and watched four foreigners who were aged about 40 act in a really juvenile way, drinking openly, getting in the way of people who passed them, sneering and leering at all and sundry and what struck me the most was how everybody who noticed these people pretended NOT to notice them if you know what I mean, heads in the sand as their 'leafy suburb' was treated to 'diversity',
I couldn't tell where these men were from, at a guess I would say middle eastern maybe but they were an accident waiting to happen, I had dropped a son of mine at the shops so I drove home, picked up a hurl and drove back to the shops to ensure that my son did not fall foul of these people, they were gone when I got back to the shops, had been collected in a beat up car apparently,
Now long story short, we have allowed a situation develop where our useless politicians are not just fucking up the economy, they are endangering the citizens in a real way,
They are criminals and traitors and may very well hang for their crimes if order is lost.
Another crystal clear article, and to the point. Thank you. A well established FF mind-set of: "Whatever you say , say nothing", while, "standing idly by", when it matters"
Again a throwback from post colonialism overly centralised government . We need to decentralise ,maybe look to how it’s done in Switzerland . Give more power to local government including tax raising ability , allow debt and levy each county to pay for a technocratic government to issue legislation and policy and direct a reimagined civil service to deliver out on the societal need based on current and future demographic need .
A great article Sinead. I am now beginning to believe our democracy is full of mediocre politicians because politics is so toxic only mediocrity will enter the sphere , this coupled with a post colonial politics and a civil service who only collect tribute and disperse favour leads us to the ineptitude you so clearly describe.
How do we shake this up and start delivering out on the social contract we all want as a society?
Great article. I feel the snapshot, tangle, circle defence is used very widely across Europe.
I wonder if it is something unique now due to some bigger force like the ageing population, economic malaise, etc or an updated version of how the state always avoids difficult challenges until it’s too big to ignore.
Looking at the seven points about immigration etc in the "Defense 3: The Circle", a useful way to drill down and breakout of a 'vicious circle of inaction' is to keep asking "What's causing the last because" until the root cause is reached.
The Martin/Harris era will be remembered personally as a time of unprecedented national wealth with little or nothing to show for it. When this prosperity passes we will tighten the national purse strings again and ride it out. And the wheel of mismanagement will eventually spin again. But starting from an even worse position.
We have an incompetent political class. The only thing I can't work out is if it's by design. If Martin/Harris (as proxies for their parties) are wilfully letting the country get worse, are paralyzed by fear of doing the wrong thing, or genuinely believe current policies are working or will eventually work.
All that is brilliant about Ireland, all that keeps me here, is innate in us as a people and a land. Beyond low corporation tax and FDI (not the current politicians' idea), what exactly has been done? Where is the ambition? The passion to improve the country for future generations?
There is no attempt to improve, they just try to manage the decline. I wonder how much of the Irish political classes have ever lived and worked overseas?
"That could never work here..." ad nauseum
We are so fucked. I was thinking about a previous essay in this series where you described the 'opt out' of private health insurance or private schools...and thinking about the generous grants for solar panels that will create another two tier system in Ireland: people who own houses and can power their home and cars with solar energy, and people who rent or live in apartments and can no longer afford to heat their homes. The solar powered, housed tier will be able to opt out of the battles against data centres and the cost of living crisis.
I self-identify as a relatively comfortable (not as comfortable as I should be though!) opter-out. Not happy about that but it is true. And it is for exactly the reasons the author previously described- I have zero confidence in this goverment providing even the basics of what I and my family need.
And I am fortunate I can opt-out. There but for the grace...
What an indictment of the country it is to say that people who do everything right (work, contribute, stay the right side of the law etc etc) are being let down at every point.
I do think "someone else" will get a shot at running the country. But I'm certain it will happen when the horse has bolted and all of this delicious corporate tax money has dried up.
hi: good analysis. very pertinent to the failure of Irish Education. I do feel that the analysis is missing two additional aspects:
1. the 'laager' approach that is endemic to irish public service bodies whereby the permanent government has creates defensive circles around them to maintain their power and benefits. these include: creating semi-state and other public bodies to distance them from public scrutiny; the use of elected representatives to shield them further and the use of legislation to further embed their control and power.
2. the impact of recent crises ie the financial crash of 2008+ and the covid emergency of 2020. both of these were used by the permanent government to bring a level of control and centralisation beyond what existed previously and what is the norm in other european countries. this power has been taken from accountable elected representatives and local bodies. It is reinforced by the use of regulations and directives nominally issued in the name of the relevant minister.
3. the collapse of policy and decision making capacity within political parties exacerbated by the constant stream of 'crises' that face government daily ensuring that a paralysis now exists in government whereby nothing can be done. some conspiracy theorists suggest that some of these crises are accelerated by the permanent government to keep politicians busy!
regards, ken
PS: the permanent government differs to the civil service in that it comprises senior civil servants together with the CEOs of major public and semi-state bodies!
Good point generally about the lack of decision-making power at local authority level. Though I don't think Ireland is so big that centralised decision-making can't work perfectly well.
If anything, Covid proved that centralised decision-making can happen quickly and to extraordinary effect when the will is there. Eoghan Murphy in his reflections on his time government talks about this in detail. But it requires cross-department collaboration and action. That's all too rare.
If I were being cynical, I'd say it's simply that nothing in the country registers enough as a crisis to FF/FG politicians personally to provoke action. And that ministers, Taoisigh and TDs are too concerned about their own careers and little empires.
The designed inertia is the core problem behind all of this.
A finely tuned set of rhetorical, cognitive and systemic heuristics designed to ensure rigorous inaction. State sanctioned helplessness
"We'd all like to solve this issue but..."
"Let's get real here..."
"Ah now, that's very unfair, we're doing our best..."
"Well it's all well and good saying _____ but the legislation won't allow that"
Brilliant essay. We are governed by highly educated idiots.
The Carholic Church has been for some time used as a scapegoat by the Linkeln classes- the ruse is wearing very thin….
Love your articles, if only those in government had your insight,
I’m going to send this article to everyone in my contacts. I know people are sick of me banging on about Palestine, imperialism, our own government’s complicity…in all of this. We are on a continuum here. Irish people losing their homes, ordinary people paying taxes whose lives are becoming more fragile and difficult as every day passes and people like the Sudanese, Lebanese, Cubans, Palestinians - on the very sharp end of this continuum. The people damaging us are exactly the same people carrying out genocide and ecocide. The very same people. And our government is owned by these people. There is, as Sinead brilliantly points out, a huge level of uselessness but there is also a huge level of deliberate disregard for the law, for justice, for decency, for the possibility of investing in ourselves properly, in doing the right thing based on our own sad and violent history. The result for Irish people is virtual treason by FF/FG and Deliberate illiberal policies that damage us all, erode our agency both individually, as a community and as a country. We need the left wing parties to start pulling themselves together do that we have a genuine alternative to the last 100+ years of bullsh*t
This all ends badly and I don't mean just economically, real civil strife is inevitable at this stage because no attempt to fix the country will happen, it will just slide further and further into a low trust high violence society where you are on your own essentially,
A few weeks back I sat in my car at the local shops and watched four foreigners who were aged about 40 act in a really juvenile way, drinking openly, getting in the way of people who passed them, sneering and leering at all and sundry and what struck me the most was how everybody who noticed these people pretended NOT to notice them if you know what I mean, heads in the sand as their 'leafy suburb' was treated to 'diversity',
I couldn't tell where these men were from, at a guess I would say middle eastern maybe but they were an accident waiting to happen, I had dropped a son of mine at the shops so I drove home, picked up a hurl and drove back to the shops to ensure that my son did not fall foul of these people, they were gone when I got back to the shops, had been collected in a beat up car apparently,
Now long story short, we have allowed a situation develop where our useless politicians are not just fucking up the economy, they are endangering the citizens in a real way,
They are criminals and traitors and may very well hang for their crimes if order is lost.
You sure you are in the right room, Niall?
How do you mean?
The author outlines how the political class avoid ever fixing anything,
Not fixing the immigration issue has real world consequences for people,
Am I missing something or are you just being a smart arse?
Another crystal clear article, and to the point. Thank you. A well established FF mind-set of: "Whatever you say , say nothing", while, "standing idly by", when it matters"
Again a throwback from post colonialism overly centralised government . We need to decentralise ,maybe look to how it’s done in Switzerland . Give more power to local government including tax raising ability , allow debt and levy each county to pay for a technocratic government to issue legislation and policy and direct a reimagined civil service to deliver out on the societal need based on current and future demographic need .
A great article Sinead. I am now beginning to believe our democracy is full of mediocre politicians because politics is so toxic only mediocrity will enter the sphere , this coupled with a post colonial politics and a civil service who only collect tribute and disperse favour leads us to the ineptitude you so clearly describe.
How do we shake this up and start delivering out on the social contract we all want as a society?
Great article. I feel the snapshot, tangle, circle defence is used very widely across Europe.
I wonder if it is something unique now due to some bigger force like the ageing population, economic malaise, etc or an updated version of how the state always avoids difficult challenges until it’s too big to ignore.
Seamus Haney called. He wants royalties for over using
“Whatever you say, say nothing at all. “
Looking at the seven points about immigration etc in the "Defense 3: The Circle", a useful way to drill down and breakout of a 'vicious circle of inaction' is to keep asking "What's causing the last because" until the root cause is reached.
Looking at the wider circle, the political circle;
I can't do anything because:
I'm just an opposition TD,
I'm just a backbencher TD,
I'm just a newspaper journalist,
I'm just a party member,
I'm just Joe Soap,
The political system is broken,
It's beyond complex to found a new party,
The situation needs a messiah.
Who can identify a messiah?