The Year In Review: Ireland - A Beacon

In Ireland we’ll remember 2018 for two big headline positives: the epoch-defining referendum decision to delete the 8th Amendment to the Constitution, and the re-election in October of Michael D Higgins as Uachtarán na hÉireann, on the first count and with the highest ever first preference vote for a presidential candidate. We have been saluted as a beacon of enlightenment and progressive thought in a world slipping into darkness. Now, there’s a change!

The referendum result is another, key milestone in unravelling shameful histories and untethering Irish society from the dead hand of religion and its institutions. The decision in February that school students are to be allowed drop out of religious instruction classes in Ireland was another small step, but the job isn’t finished until religious control of schools is ended. This will be a far harder nut to crack – but the campaign is now officially underway.

The landslide victory in the presidential election represented a ringing endorsement for Michael D. He is popular and respected for who he is, what he has done and what he represents. He combines thoughtfulness, erudition and passion.

Although, as he said on one of the largely pointless TV debates, he’s been turning up since 1969, Michael D is emblematic of the new Ireland that has emerged over the past decade, out of the ashes of the crash, you might say.
The electoral proportions that made up his success were remarkably similar to those for repealing the 8th; and also for the marriage equality referendum and removing blasphemy from the Constitution. Do those proportions portray a 2:1 Ireland with a permanently disenchanted and contrary minority? It’s possible but it’s more likely that the floating middle third has moved to the left as the demography changes and we become ever more urban. And, of course, don’t forget that voters consistently return Michael Lowry, the Healy-Raes and Mattie McGrath at every election. Peter Casey drew from that well to clock up 23% of the first preferences.

Meanwhile, the economy has settled and jobs growth has reached the point where we are effectively at full employment. Not only that, but we have very significant skills gaps all across the economy and immigration has grown in response. Last February Irish restaurants trawled Europe for chefs to fill 8,000 vacancies. Last August we were told that emigration had fallen right back to 2008 levels and was accompanied by a rise in net immigration. Two immigrants in three are non-natives.

We are told that we are richer than we were during the last boom. Ah, but who’s this “we”? Most people don’t feel rich at all, do they? Especially not the homeless. Nor the renters. Nor those looking to buy for the first time. The turbulence in housing shows clearly that the downstream impact of the crash is still crushing hopes and dreams. We have to finds a way of addressing that – and fast.

The referendum result made it a good year for women. But you wouldn’t want to get carried away. While the #MeToo movement didn’t unearth anyone you could seriously compare to Harvey Weinstein, it was hugely important in raising Irish awareness of misogyny and violence against women, and under-representation and discrimination in pay. The road ahead has many pitfalls. Take women’s health. The Scally report into the CervicalCheck scandal found the author describing behaviour that “verged on misogyny”.

Of course, that whole affair was complicated by media fever and the Opposition playing dog-whistle politics. Scally’s report allowed a more rational consideration.

Peter Charleton’s report into the Garda Whistleblower controversy also drove home the need for greater thought and rational debate. He unreservedly vindicated whistleblower Maurice McCabe who was, said the judge, “repulsively denigrated for being no more than a good citizen and police officer.” He vindicated former Minister Frances Fitzgerald and former Commissioner Noirin O’Sullivan, both of whom had been hounded out by mobs. The thing is, when everything is an outrage, nothing is an outrage.

On the flip side, we must acknowledge the pleasure we get from sport and the great achievements of our players and athletes. Yeah, the football team continues to disappoint but elsewhere we punch far above our weight, sometimes literally!

Overall, in a world of rage and confusion, we’re keeping clear of the worst. Indeed, things would actually be pretty good here if we could address the issues in health; the housing and homelessness problem; and the need for gender and social equality.
But there’s the rub, eh?