The Irish Examiner View: Do ask an expert

The disdain directed at experts during the Brexit campaign — and in today’s “divorce” negotiations — might have prepared Britain’s civil service for the resignation of the permanent secretary at the British Home Office, Philip Rutnam, following an unprecedented row with his political boss, the polarising Priti Patel. Despite that, it is difficult, maybe naive, not to think a Rubicon has been crossed.

The same process worked, but in reverse, yesterday, when climate change expert Prof John Sweeney crossed the Shannon. He addressed the March meeting of Clare County Council on climate change and, specifically, on the flooding which, over the past two weeks, once again inundated Clonlara, in south-east Clare.