Use this opportunity

THE two-day Global Irish Economic Forum in Dublin Castle will undoubtedly have some positive results though how concrete and immediate they might be remains to be seen.

This weekend, as so many of us focus on sport and the fantasies it sustains, those people who have just lost their jobs at TalkTalk in Waterford, and the other 450,000 people depending on unemployment benefits, are impatient for any benefits the forum might bring.

Already there are suggestions about high-level input from business people who have been successful on the international stage in how our semi-state companies and public service go about their business. These suggestions will certainly make some people uncomfortable but so be it. We are in such a tight bind that every option must be considered and if that means reinventing the wheel then we must.