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Ireland as a whole is a divided country in more
ways than one. When it comes to the division of wealth, both
the Republic and Northern Ireland would seem to be some of
the very worst in Europe. And without politics North or South
being primarily defined by social and economic policies, this
looks set to continue.
But disillusionment with politics and politicians
is not surprising. In the North this is partly because of
the ineffectiveness of politicians and those who support them
actually delivering on devolved government. Six years on from
the Good Friday Agreement another Good Friday goes by without
any sign of the return of local control at Stormont. In the
Republic, cases of political corruption have tended to tar
most politicians with the same brush.
But politicians also have a responsibility to
live up to something like their promises and statements, and
in making judgements on the past to at least have some element
of truth. We have already dealt in these pages with the Taoiseach,
Bertie Ahern, claiming he was against the Iraq war while he
gave, and continues to give, the USA the only support it wanted
from Ireland - full use of Shannon Airport.
Here however we wanted to refer to Mary Harney's
speech at the recent Progressive Democrats conference; "We
are a party of change. In Government, we are working to deliver
social justice." As the leader of a party which supports
Thatcherite privatisation at every turn, and has threatened
to pull out of the Government if it does not get its way on
the privatisation of transport in the Republic, one can wonder
what she means by 'social justice' because she evidently means
something very different to any sensible definition.
Social justice can only mean fair treatment
for a number of vulnerable groups including the elderly and
the unemployed. In her speech to the PDs Mary Harney did define,
to some extent, what she meant by social justice. While she
specifically mentioned disabled people, and promises regarding
the new Disability Bill, there was no mention of the elderly
and unemployed, or indeed those stuck in low wage, dead end
jobs. The nearest she got here was referring to "Social
justice means a decent job for everybody who is available
for work" (note the use of 'decent job' rather than 'decent
pay', and only mention of those in work).
The increase in employment in the Republic over
the last decade has been remarkable, but at a cost. Control
of the driving seat of the economy is primarily in the hands
of computer and pharmaceutical multinationals who are in Ireland
because it is the best place to make a profit. By the laws
of capitalism there is nothing wrong with this except that
by those very same laws, if anything does go wrong or they
can make a faster buck in Bangladesh rather than Ballydehob,
then they will be out of Ireland faster than you can say 'social
justice'.
But social peace and stability is only likely
to come in a society which has relatively few divisions. And
the lifestyle engendered by the new regime is not sustainable
on a global level. Of course people may enjoy their new lifestyle
if they are well enough off to afford the good things and
pay for dealing with the bad, as with healthcare. But the
private wealth and public squalor of Ireland is not something
of which we can be proud, quite the reverse.
We need a concept of social wealth, of the collectivity
of society which can afford to look after people as a whole
rather than simply relying on individualism and private wealth.
And we need a concept of social justice which is going to
deliver for everyone - whether or not they have their finger
in the economic pie of a good job. Otherwise injustice will
be perpetuated in perpetuity, and Ireland will continue to
provide an example of an economy, or economies, closer to
Boston and the individualist elitism of the USA than to the
relative social inclusion of Berlin. But even the latter,
and social policies in other European countries, are under
pressure these days
But we also need a concept of real sustainability
in a world which is going dangerously close to the abyss,
as with global warming. If we can work on social justice,
social wealth, and sustainability, then we might really have
a society in which we can be proud, and which can not only
cherish the children of the nation equally but help ensure
that there is something worthwhile to pass on to those same
children. Unfortunately we may have an awful lot of explaining
to do to our children and our grandchildren.
This month's poem from Lothar Lüken:
Patrick's Night
The same old factions still prevail,
for ever chasing each others tail,
with priests committing every sin
and children raped by their own kin.
Persistent illusions of close-knit tribes
while local leaders pocket fat bribes
and tax breaks for those who wallow in wealth
leave not enough funds for public health.
Celtic tigers or Celtic toads -
European money paves our roads,
which we mindlessly litter with garbage
and deathly drunken drivers' carnage.
Ah, self-delusions of a nation
who in raucous celebration
wave green banners, dance and cheer
bash some blacks and puke green beer.
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