Irish Examiner view: World on edge after Trump's move in Venezuela

Federal law enforcement personnel stand watch outside the Metropolitan Detention Center as they await the arrival of captured Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro in New York Picture: Yuki Iwamura/AP

Donald Trump’s ability to blend facts, or even a lack of them, into his own truth, has been a singular phenomenon throughout both his terms of office. Never before, though, has this talent been used to justify the illegal invasion of a sovereign foreign state and the arrest of its leader.

What the international ramifications of these actions will be remains unclear, but it seems almost certain they will embolden others to do what they like — just as he has.

The ramifications of Trump’s actions in invading Venezuela and ‘arresting’ its president, Nicolas Maduro, have already had a ripple effect that is being felt across the whole of Central and South America, Taiwan, Cuba, and in Europe, where Denmark is already fighting a rearguard action against his claims that Greenland will be a key pivot point in defending the US.

Meanwhile, in Iran, the government is facing a nationwide uprising; Trump has stated that the US is “locked and loaded and ready to go” if protesters are killed by the regime.

It is certainly not a given that his Venezuelan enterprise will tempt him into going after regime change in Tehran, but were he to do so, the consequences for the US, Iran, and that country’s neighbours are truly frightening.

And what of Taiwan? The island nation has long been desired by China, which claims it is historically linked to the People’s Republic. It may be emboldened by Trump’s stomping on international norms, via his raid on Caracas, to try something similar against Taipei.

Trump’s largely fictitious charges against Maduro and his administration will be noted internationally for their brazenness and the fact that there was no other attempt to justify what happened other that it was in the ‘best interests’ of the US.

The likes of Putin, Xi, and others will have seen that there were no attempts to solicit consent from either national or international law-making bodies in this instance. They will take note.

Driving test in need of reform

Amid all the new year focus on the issue of road safety, following the worst year for recorded road deaths since 2014, one vital aspect of the bigger picture is driver training and whether it is fit for purpose.

Since the foundation of the State more than 100 years ago, there has at times been a cavalier disregard for the requirement for a rigorous driver-training system, and for the absolute necessity that anyone behind the wheel of a car — or the handlebars of a motorbike — knows exactly what they are doing.

In the early days, the requirements needed to secure a driving licence were literally non-existent. All you needed was to be of a requisite age and to be able to fill out a form. There wasn’t even a driving test.

Things have evolved progressively down the years, but we have also seen a number of instances where nascent drivers who had been on a waiting list for a test for too long were simply given an amnesty and granted a licence without any test.

It was a simple way of clearing huge backlogs, but it did absolutely nothing for preparing people for the simple day-to-day dangers of driving on our roads and their ability to cope when something does go wrong.

Despite promises of reform by the Road Safety Authority, more than 70,000 drivers are languishing on waiting lists to get a test. The average waiting time varies widely across the country; it is 14 weeks on average. We have far too few full-time testers and test centres.

Questions, too, have to be asked around the test itself — should drivers be put through a much stiffer programme of training, including being evaluated on a skid pan or trained in accident avoidance?

Of course, there will be those who decry the cost of such extensive training but not alone are there commercial opportunities for businesses in this sphere, but it is something the exchequer could benefit from as well.

Our current driver-training programmes are minimal at best and this is one area that needs to be looked at if the unending cycle of death on our roads is to be broken for once and for all.

No excuse for work safety issues

Safety in the workplace is a broad but complex symbiosis of common sense, clear thinking, and practicality, but it appears our ability to keep workers safe while doing their jobs, is going in completely the wrong direction.

Figures from the Health and Safety Authority yesterday revealed a 61% increase in the number of people dying in work-related incidents year-on-year between 2024 and 2025.

While the actual figures might seem small in quantitative terms — up to 58 from 36, which was the lowest ever figure recorded — the fact of the matter is that well-known workplace hazards are either being ignored or not adequately monitored.

The agriculture, construction, and manufacturing sectors were those with the highest number of fatalities, but the sharp rise last year indicated something of a growing workplace complacency. The number of self-employed workers losing their lives — 40% of the total — is an equal concern.

While many self-employed workers operate alone, the number of fatalities among them is disproportionate, but the fact so many deaths occur through well-known incident triggers involving vehicles, machinery, and falls shows these are not being as well controlled as they might.

These are hazards that can be effectively managed, but it appears a certain lackadaisical attitude towards safety has set in across this country.

What is worth noting, however, is that no single job is worth the price of anyone’s life.

What's your view on this issue?

You can tell us here