Irish politics reduced to a sad charade - Making our democracy real again

AS the catastrophic consequences — nearly 50m dead, a continent razed — of the collapse of democracies and the rise of murderous extremism fades from living memory it is unlikely that too many of us toss and turn in our beds fretting about how the political classes’ indecision, ineptitude, growing detachment, and hubris are threatening the stability most of our world has enjoyed since 1945.

Yet, the evidence is all around us and very well rehearsed. The grave doubts on two White House candidates; Putin’s latest election victory and growing assertiveness; ongoing instability in Spain; Brexit; intractable conflict across the Middle East and the refugee crisis that generates; the stability of the euro; the legitimacy of the EU; multinational corporations more powerful than governments and the resurgence of right-wing nationalism in countries once committed to international solidarity and co-operation.

These issues seem so remote that it is absolutely understandable that, this bracing September morning, far more Irish people are concerned about getting tickets for the football final replay than trying to resolve any of these challenges. How could it be otherwise? The very scale of the issues, the unfathomable depth of conflict, and probably most of all, the inability of citizens to influence affairs in even the slightest way is chilling. This sterility, this enforced marginalisation, is the very root of the scepticism destroying hard-fought-for democracy — remember 1916?