Only the President can ensure we properly debate the state of the nation

DEAR President,

I’ve been reading again some of the things you’ve been saying lately, and it seems to me that you are seeking, within the constraints of your office as you see them, to reflect some of the anger of the Irish people at what has been going on in our country. But with respect, President, isn’t it time for you to be more explicit? I can’t imagine a time in our history when it was more important for the President to be addressing the nation, honestly and openly, about the challenges that now face us. Last week you said “In facing up to the present difficulties, there needs to be candour, accountability and debate to ensure that the grave failures of the past are never repeated”. I couldn’t agree with you more.

The trouble is that the speech you gave, at the Irish Book Awards, wasn’t reported adequately at all. Two of our national newspapers more or less ignored the speech (although they covered the event) and the third picked a different extract entirely to report on. They had you calling on citizens to “maintain a positive outlook through present difficulties and rise to the challenge that the country is facing”. They went on to report you as saying that “it is in Ireland’s best interests to lift our hearts, minds and voices beyond mere recrimination so that (we) can put the present difficulties behind us”.