Aoife Moore: Government fails to join the dots in our big ‘outdoor summer’
Aoife Moore: The inability to join up the dots and look at problems practically has been the worst habit of this coalition Government, shuffling from one fallout to the next.
Gardaí have informed the Government that hospitality businesses, which have dutifully moved their business on to the street, might not even be licensed to do so, causing more stress to a sector already on its knees – and most of us who watch the Government closely aren’t even remotely surprised.
The Government announced its outdoor summer with no idea what it would actually entail and, lo and behold, the outdoor summer (like the “meaningful Christmas”) has been a disaster.
Publicans who dutifully, and in some cases voluntarily, shut their doors in the name of public health have been strung along for months with vague promises and kite flying in place of frank and honest conversations.
Now, as they reopen their doors (and patios and beer gardens), spending money on safety signs, cleaning and sterilisation, and move their businesses out into the open air, they’ve been told they may not be allowed to do that either.
The gardaí too, have been left in an awkward position, charged with upholding the laws of the land and in the knowledge that those who might be breaking them did not do so on purpose, if they are even aware at all.
Justice Minister Heather Humphreys’ blasé tweets in the wake of the unexpected announcement sparked fury in the hospitality industry and those who represent the gardaí – and rightly so.
We know that half of all Covid-19 fines dished out in Dublin were given in just two Garda districts, with 77% of those issued countrywide given to people aged under 35 amid accusations of the “disproportionate targeting” of working-class areas.
Can businesses in those areas expect to be held to a higher standard than their suburban neighbours, just as the citizens of their neighbourhoods were?
And what is the answer the gardaí who turned a blind eye to a few deck chairs and a picnic table should give when they’re hauled in front of a disciplinary board? I have got a feeling that “I read it on the minister’s Twitter” isn’t going to cut it.
This issue, like most we have seen for the entirety of the pandemic, is the result of a reactive Government.
Short-sightedness has plagued the coalition since its inception a year ago.
Opportunities to proactively change how we conduct our lives, business and Government have been squandered and spoiled by solemn speeches with big words, Heaney quotes, and very little practical support or forethought of how the plans would be carried out.
The three-headed Government’s obsession with form over function has led us to days of media coverage about litter and pints during a deadly, once-in-a-lifetime pandemic. Cabinet meetings, which included the leaders of the nation, have spent chunks of essential time discussing a ban on takeaway beer.
It would be comical if it weren’t all so depressing.
Bus stops were plastered with signs calling on the public to “think outside”, but not one person considered the idea that, in order for people to spend time outside, they would also need toilets and bins.
Like at Christmas before, only when social media videos highlighted the crowds and the litter was some action taken and not before we were informed by one Dublin City Council official that if they put out more bins, those pesky kids would only come into town and use them. The most telling quote of the pandemic.
Young people who have been penned in at home, missing their friends and life experiences, ventured to parks to meet with friends, only to have their drinks poured into canals by gardaí and to be moved on from every spot in which they sat. A nuisance wherever they went, through no fault of their own, demonised if they caught Covid for not obeying the rules, while vanishingly small alternatives were offered.
Even before the bars were allowed to open their doors, takeaway pints became thenorm and, due to a lack of communication between all those involved (from the Government to local councils to gardaí), hundreds of people, who were adhering to the Government advice and drinking pints that bars were legally allowed to sell, were hemmed into one narrow Dublin street.
Chaos ensued, hands were wrung, Dr Tony Holohan gave us a warning and the Government pointed a finger at everyone other than the mirror.
Staff returning to hospitality and adjusting to their new work environment have been attacked, taxis have been jumped on and we’ve watched gardaí arrive to one of the capital’s most bustling areas in full riot gear – a visual representation of how spectacularly their crowd control measures had failed.
The coalition has governed by for much of the pandemic and it shows; it’s a Government promoting that they’re taking action without any further thought to the reaction.
There will be much handwringing for a day or two, some “constructive conversations” will be had and we’ll all happily go back to our regular school of thought, which mostly comprises saying: “It’ll be grand,” over and over again until the problem works itself out.
The inability to join up the dots and look at problems practically has been the worst habit of this coalition Government, shuffling from one fallout to the next, putting out fires in every corner while petrol leaks out of the exhaust.
This nation has a terrible habit of waiting until the worst possible outcome appears before taking any steps to remedy the issue and, 17 months into a pandemic, it’s exhausting and counterproductive.
I for one could do with fewer catchy phrases and would prefer a bit more common sense.
The grounds of Leinster House were used to stage the 1853 Great Industrial Exhibition at which the US arms manufacturer Colt sold 40 pistols to the Irish Prison Service.
The pension issue is back on the table as Sinn Féin will table a Private Members Bill to restore the right to retire at 65 on the full pension rate.
Sinn Féin spokesperson on workers’ rights Louise O’Reilly and spokesperson on social protection Claire Kerrane say voters “sent a message” in the last election that they wanted to see urgent reform to the pension age. The Government has deferred the increase in the pension age to 67 after ongoing debate on the issue last year.
The Social Democrats will table a motion to advocate for full public ownership of the new national maternity hospital – and the site on which it will be built.There are concerns that governance at the new maternity hospital will be influenced by a Catholic ethos, due the Government leasing the land from an order of nuns, the Sisters of Charity. The €500m public hospital will replace ageing services in Holles Street and has been mired in controversy for years. The Social Democrat bill has wide support across the Oireachtas from Government and opposition TDs.
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