Letters to the Editor: An Taoiseach must effect a Cabinet reshuffle
An Taoiseach Micheál Martin must take a grip and do it now, and take the only action that is open to him: He must effect a root and branch Cabinet reshuffle. Picture: Sasko Lazarov / RollingNews.ie
The result of the last general election left this country in a rare old mess. The Government that ensued was mainly a matter of getting the numbers right. It never looked like a team.
Many came to the table bringing with them few competencies and fewer loyalties. Their inbuilt instincts were to undermine, to snipe, and to leak.
Despite all that, the Government has handled the pandemic with good judgement and the handling of the economy and the public finances is admirable, solid, and far-seeing.
But the problems that face us are daunting in nature and scale.
The current team is not up to the task of dealing with climate, Sláintecare, housing, education, childcare, and the upgrading of public services.
Micheál Martin must take a grip and do it now, and take the only action that is open to him: He must effect a root and branch Cabinet reshuffle.
Acting without fear or favour An Taoiseach must put his “best labourers” on the front bench and demand An Tánaiste and Eamon Ryan follow suit.
An Taoiseach is acting from a position of strength now.
He must begin by mending fences with his own party and do whatever it takes to energise and unleash the potential of its members. But above all else he must seek to build a team spirit.
In the light of the challenge facing us, cooperation and collaboration ought to be the order of the day.
I care deeply about my country. I was raised in the school of old-fashioned patriotism.
It pains me to see a sourness settling in over this country like a grey fog on Mangerton mountain, creeping down from the top.
Reading Dr Tara Shine’s eloquent article — We all need to be part of the conversation sparked by Cop26 (Irish Examiner, November 17) — and other similar articles across the media concerning climate change, leaves one wondering as to how Ireland’s commitments to reduce our emissions by 51% by 2030 will be financed.
Transport Minister Eamon Ryan recently said that Ireland’s climate change emissions strategy was the most ambitious in the world, costing €125bn up to 2030.
This is despite Ireland’s contribution to global warming being 0.11% of the world total according to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), the foremost authority on global warming.
Significantly, the UNFCCC also states that the countries of the world should participate in the effort to stabilise the climate ‘on the basis of their common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities’.
Our responsibility is minuscule in world terms and our financial capability is severely diminished by an unprecedented national debt of €250bn; a huge housing and homeless crisis; a health system under enormous pressure, and an underfunded energy infrastructure creaking to its core.
Further, Ireland’s contribution to global warming is seriously and unfairly represented by the well-documented consumption/production anomaly, in that emissions of all our agricultural and other exports are accounted for in our total emissions, while we are also responsible for the emissions of all fossil fuels imported from Saudi Arabia and other suppliers.
Ireland made unattainable commitments at the Paris Agreement in 2015 and duly failed to comply with those commitments for the next six years, earning us the moniker of world climate laggards.
Now magically, according to Dr Shine, we are to become leaders on the international stage to create a safer and fairer world, and further, to show that Ireland can be a world leader on climate change.
It would be very illuminating if Dr Shine and other experts would explain in detail the following:
- How will the €125bn be financed?
- How much will the climate proposal cost the average household?
- What detailed financial appraisals have been conducted for the various sectors?
- How do we resolve the serious consumption/production anomaly?
The abject failure of this Government and all its trailing tentacles to offer clear leadership and comprehensible messaging during this pandemic is shocking, but unsurprising.
If it’s not frantically operating its own internecine one-upmanship jousts between Taoiseach and ‘co-Taoiseach’ or wannabe careerist minsters, and bending over backwards to placate vested interest lobby groups in defiance of public health advisories, it’s trying to vacuously assert itself as a viable going concern when it is patently not — absolutely not.
Such a selection of dire dynamics bode ill for all at any time, but during a pandemic are nothing short of disastrous; they coalesce to fully erode both public confidence and public health in the round.
The confusion around what is allowed, what is appropriate behaviour in any given setting, and what ongoing protection vaccination provides, actually breeds a catastrophe in terms of vital public confidence in the credibility on offer.
Nearly everyone now is sceptical and critical of the contradictory and confounding messaging forthcoming, opting to believe little or nothing of anything being officially presented, due to the perverse protocols and pathetic ego-preening on show.
Of course during a pandemic of a very contagious virus is a mammoth challenge for all and sundry, citizen and expert alike, one cannot expect perfect planning and execution at all times.
The converse, though, is that one would expect total honesty, transparency and maturity of leadership.
What we get is a dithering shambles where courageous leadership, honourable selflessness, and regular clarity of purpose irrespective of the variability of the situation is gone AWOL.
It is refreshing to read columnist Alison O’Connor, who actually remembers what happened last year in the run-up to Christmas — I have a horrible sense the wrong choices were made this week (Irish Examiner, November 19).
It’s nice to see she has empathy for the healthcare workers under strain, and the people who have continued to take precautions in a pandemic with now over 5,000 cases a day.
I write in reference to Mick Clifford: I swear to God, this can’t go on — it’s time to axe the presidential oath (Irish Examiner, November 20).
Surely it’s time to abolish the oath anyway, since many people don’t take it seriously.
I would like to see it replaced by a pledge like: “I understand that I am required to tell the truth and that if I am found to be lying I may face a fine or a prison term or any other punishment deemed appropriate.”
Let’s have full separation of Church and State and let’s have it now.
Religion should be kept where it firmly belongs — in the private sphere, regardless of one’s particular religious flavour.
Thanksgiving is a federal holiday in the US giving thanks for the harvest.
Its true meaning has been lost to a frantic shopping spree which begins with a dawn dash on ‘Black Friday’; ‘Cyber Monday’ was added to the Thanksgiving weekend to boost online shopping.
Black Friday and Cyber Monday are two of the busiest shopping days in the USA.
About $100bn (€89bn) is spent during the four-day weekend in cash, credit, loans, and hire purchase agreements by about 150m US consumers.
Many are left wallowing in debt having lost the run of themselves during the weekend shopping frenzy.
Irish consumers have embraced online shopping during the pandemic. But let’s be careful lest we end up with huge debts, maxed-out credit cards and unwanted gifts.
Your editorial — The rule of law remains paramount — on the rule of law and memories of the Nuremberg trials on November 17 was an excellent piece of journalism and highlighted the importance of such commentary.
Given that the hatred and racism which motivated those crimes against humanity is being preached daily on the internet, your editorial is so relevant to the present day. Keep it up.
