Turn down the arrogance and fix multiple failings

In the overall scheme of things, the Republic of Ireland is a tiny state with a population of just 4.7m people, albeit a population that is rising strongly.

We do many things well, such as attracting foreign direct investment, providing a decent enough education to our children, and we are pretty good at tourism, as demonstrated by the fact that this year is likely to see another record number of overseas visitors coming into the country.

We have also produced some world-class companies such as CRH, Smurfit Kappa, Glanbia, and Ryanair.