Any grown-up organisation that presided over a litany of calamity like Irish Water would acknowledge its errors and admit it was time to go back to the drawing board and reimagine the entire project.

TRYING to instigate a discussion that might acknowledge our looming pensions’ crisis brings to mind those myriad sandwich-board men who warned us all with unshakeable certainty that “The End Is Nigh” — we all know he will be right eventually but we’re not that bothered about the grim prospect to do anything about it just yet. Make us good Lord, but not just yet.

YESTERDAY’S CSO figures showing that the value of Ireland’s export trade climbed an all-time high in April will add considerable momentum to the idea that we are economically, finally, out of the woods.