It is some 47 years since last I stood here.
It must be admitted my motives were romantic rather than political:  I was madly in love with Stephanie, the
youngest daughter of Fine Gael TD for Cork, Stephen Barrett.

There was also another good family reason for being here….of
which I was unaware at the time.

It certainly had nothing to do with my mother’s side. They were happy
to see Ireland part of the United Kingdom and the British Empire: indeed their
world started to fall apart when … Continue reading...

A Wake-up Call for
the Small Nations of Europe

Ed Walsh

The relief and satisfaction in Ireland, following the
Euro-summit, that reduced interest rates and extended loan repayment periods,
is similar to that of the inmate returned from solitary confinement to the regular
prison cell.

The reduction of the harshness of Ireland’s sentence was
triggered, not through compassion for a small country, but by financial market
events that threatened two large economies, Spain and Italy, and the future of
the Euro in a way that concentrated minds in Brussels and Berlin.  Finding rational solutions for economic
recovery in countries large … Continue reading...

A National Government of Unity

Edward Walsh

Many in Britain, who came through the harrowing years of war,
the London blitz, the struggle to defend against invasion and the eventual
defeat of Germany, recall the period as one of great personal fulfilment and
satisfaction.   British political parties set aside their
differences and formed a national government of unity for the duration of the
war.   The prime minister’s inspired leadership
rallied people to the cause; the parliamentary routine of peacetime was abandoned.  A united people responded to the challenge and,
under conditions of great hardship, contributed to the war effort and… Continue reading...

Addressing the Talent Deficit in Government and the Public
Service

Ed Walsh

The democratic institutions of the Republic remain remarkably
unaltered since the foundation of the State. This may be seen as an achievement,
and in ways it is, but it provokes the question whether these are still the
best choice for the governance of Ireland. The STV (single transferable vote) electoral
system, favoured in the English-speaking world when adopted by the first Dail,
is still retained, even though abandoned across the globe by every other democracy
with the exception of Malta. Almost all the states of post World War … Continue reading...