Irish Examiner view: State must be ready to step in

President Donald Trump shakes hands with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last Sunday. Jacquelyn Martin/AP

Despite the sense of relief from some (and reaction is mixed) in the wake of the US-EU trade talks at Donald Trump’s golf course in Scotland on Sunday, there is still much to distil from the agreement and its effects across Europe’s industrial, manufacturing, energy, and agriculture sectors.

While many businesses received a certain clarity, there are still numerous dark corners which need light shone upon them and it is now incumbent on our Government to identify those at risk as a result of the new tariffs and provide a financial bulwark for them.

In the same way that Brexit introduced a new level of challenges to Irish industries and businesses, the new tariff regime will require the Government to act similarly — by introducing supports — if widespread job losses, factory closures, and business shut-downs are to be avoided. Our pharmaceutical industry remains our biggest sector vulnerable to the capriciousness of US economic policy.

It will take some time for the effects of this deal to percolate down through our exporters, whatever products they are engaged in manufacturing, and to see which of our manufacturing businesses are going to take the biggest hits.

While we can console ourselves that the outcome was not as bad as it might have been, even for the business that see it as a successful conclusion to talks it still represents a considerable threat to their wellbeing as industries and therefore the job security of the employees.

The Government has a limited pot of cash to provide the necessary supports, but must clearly target those sectors — and jobs — where the risks are greatest.

Even in a best-case scenario turbulent economic times lie ahead and dropping the ball could be catastrophic. Swift and decisive interpretation of the tariffs is needed to identify where we most need to provide resources to sustain businesses and employment.

Israel reaction is to deflect blame

With some 2m people starving in Gaza, the slight relaxing by Israel of its aid blockade is is little other than a PR exercise by the government in Tel Aviv.

Israel is pursuing this course in order to try and remove itself from blame for the killing and starvation of Palestinian civilians, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

With the international community — including dozens of governments, UN agencies and other international agents, alongside opponents to the war within Israel itself — intent on detailing Israel’s culpability, the reaction in Tel Aviv has been to obfuscate.

Ministers there have suggested that there is no hunger in Gaza and even if it does exist it is not Israel’s fault; rather, the blame lies with Hamas and the UN or the many aid organisations trying to provide both food and succour to the Palestinian people.

As far-right members of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government remain unapologetic about policies seemingly intent on wreaking starvation, disease, ethnic cleansing, and genocide on the people of Gaza, official Israeli denials ring hollow.

Government claims that “there is no famine in Gaza — there is a famine of truth” are palpable nonsense and illustrate clearly that the Netanyahu administration is deceiving itself and its people and attempting to do the same to the rest of the world.

Thankfully the international community is having none of this guff and its ratcheting up of pressure on the Israeli government has at least provided the respite of “military pauses” which are at least proving a small window for aid to get through.

But that pressure has to be maintained and intensified if Israel is to be prevented from committing war crimes far greater than anything it has heretofore been accused of.

Make them stars 

The success of the Women’s European Championships — which ended with overall victory for England — highlighted not only the massive growth in popularity of women’s sport, but the increasing feeling here in Ireland that we need to be part of the bigger picture.

While we have for years been able to savour the skills on display in our native camogie and football codes, the international successes Ireland has recently enjoyed in soccer, horse racing, rugby, golf, hockey, swimming, and athletics — to name a few — have increased the profile of our sportswomen to hitherto unprecedented levels.

There seems little doubt that women’s sport is going to be one of the biggest growth segments in sport worldwide and Ireland has the opportunity to play a huge role in that.

Historically we have not properly exploited the successes of such as Katie Taylor, the late Maeve Kyle, Sonia O’Sullivan as much as we did those of Barry McGuigan, Ronnie Delaney, Stephen Roche, and many others.

A weekend event in Páirc Uí Chaoimh promoting involvement and demanding investment was a wonderful occasion. But the idea of creating many more world-beaters is even better.

It is to the nation’s eternal shame that the equal rights as specified in the 1916 Proclamation were never fulfilled — but women’s sport represents a new, bright horizon.

To properly mine the current and future successes of Irish women across the sporting spectrum, massive investment is needed to not only increase participation, but to find those future stars who will make Ireland an exemplar of equal opportunity.

What's your view on this issue?

You can tell us here