Stability is key for navigating more choppy waters ahead

In a recent international survey Ireland was ranked 33 out of 100 countries in terms of its brand value globally. This is a remarkable achievement for a nation of four million people but it reflects some profoundly important facts about the state of our nation too, writes Joe Gill.

When living inside any company, family or country it is often hard to see the wood for the trees. The demands of daily life and the environment in which it is lived often magnify supposed negatives while positives can be taken for granted. When you step back from the bubble that perspective changes. It was when I worked for a bit outside Ireland that the importance and value of my home country flared up in my brain.

This survey, by Brand Finance, is a useful wake-up call in this context. Ireland is located between the two most powerful economies on earth — Europe and North America. It has strong linkages to both, politically and economically. We live in a democracy defined by a set of political parties that reside somewhere around the middle of the political spectrum. In a world where populism and extremism are winning new political advocates a parliament that opts for balance may not be such a bad thing.