Gareth O'Callaghan: Irish politics is changing as truth becomes irrelevant

James Callaghan's words about a lie going around before the truth has its boots on were a harbinger of what is now our lived reality, writes Gareth O'Callaghan

Former taoiseach Charles Haughey with British prime minister Margaret Thatcher.

James Callaghan, the former British prime minister, once said a lie can be halfway round the world before the truth has got its boots on. It’s what is known as a truism – words often used by politicians to validate what they’re talking about, without the need to fall back on proof.

A truism is rooted in common belief. It’s a social consensus in the sense that politics was once a noble profession, and politicians had our best interests at heart. Political truisms were regarded as self-evident and generally undisputed. They haven’t been for a long time. Trust in Ireland’s political system and its politicians, to put it mildly, is not what it used to be.