THE LACK of “a comprehensive vision of what sort of society we want” is at the heart of the problems Ireland faces, former president Mary Robinson has said.
Speaking at the annual commemoration of the death of Michael Collins in Beál na mBláth, Mrs Robinson said the Irish people needed “a vision of ourselves” and “the lack of one lies at the heart of the crises we face”.
Lessons could be learned from how Sweden handled its banking crisis in the 1990s, Mrs Robinson said. “...A key factor was that all sides of society, the opposition included, were brought on board so as to have as broad a consensus as possible around the tough measures that needed to be taken...The likelihood is that, in the absence of a vision of our future which enjoys broad support, every interest group will put its own concerns first and fight to protect what it has. That would be a recipe for disaster.”
She said two principles were emerging from some discussions of our economic problems.
“Firstly, example should come from the top – those who can afford most should give most. Secondly, those at the lowest end of the scale should be protected from the worst effects of the recession.”
These principles were “an essential part of a vision of the future which is founded on fairness and bridging the gap between the well-off and the poor, a gap which is already too wide in Ireland”. We also needed to“be careful not to mortgage the future of the next generation”.
The people who had most to lose were “the poor, those who have lost their jobs, young people whose prospects are suddenly much worse than they thought . . . Everyone is bracing themselves for strong medicine. It is imperative that we get the prescription right,” she said.
Despite the banking crisis, the economic downturn and the revelations in the Ryan report, there were still reasons to be hopeful. “It is not all bad news for Ireland . . . Ireland may no longer be a role model for economic success but we continue to be a role model for ending protracted and bloody conflict.” Ireland could also become a leader in the fight against climate change, she said.
To shape a vision of how we hope to develop as a society “we need to listen to everyone who has something to contribute; yes the business sector and the financial experts, but also the social entrepreneurs and innovators, the teachers who educate our children, social workers and activists ... and those who have been marginalised in the past. We should also listen to our creative artists.
“. . . Just as it is a truism to say that the law is too important to be left to the lawyers, so the problems facing Ireland are too important to be left to the economists.”
She hoped that “among our young people, who have demonstrated talent in so many fields... visionaries will come forward who will rise to the challenge of leading Ireland to a new era of prosperity and fairness for all our people...”
