Last week we asked some commentators what they thought the Taoiseach should say. This is what they thought of his message last night.
MAUREEN GAFFNEY
Adjunct professor of psychology and society at UCD
The Taoiseach opened his address with the stated aim of speaking to us directly on the challenges we face but it was in fact quite a cautious message. He did not make any great mistakes. He probably did not upset any particular group and he made a reasonably good job of balancing the reality of what we are facing with being optimistic about our chances of recovery. His core message was “stay the course”.
He did made an effort to address people in a more personal way and his use of more personal language like “I would love to tell you. . . and “I wish I could tell you . . .” sounded genuine. But his speech sounded at times like a post-budget party political broadcast – only delivered before the budget. It was review and summary of a plan and strategy we already know a lot about. It was always going to be difficult to use the dramatic setting of a State of the Nation Address to discuss the merits of indirect taxation and budgetary adjustments. Towards the end he got more confident and his reference to making Ireland “the best small country in the world” in which to do business, rear a family and grow old in was good as was his reference to the Irish character – an echo of Dev’s famous 1945 “a small nation that stood alone”.
FR SEÁN HEALY
Director of Social Justice Ireland
The crucial issue in a national televised speech by a Taoiseach is the core narrative he presents.
On the current situation he identified some key issues. While he acknowledged that most of his viewers were not responsible for the current crisis but were paying for its consequences, he said nothing about ending the process of dispossession they are currently experiencing to repay gambling bankers.
On providing a vision for the future, he said little that would suggest he has a guiding vision of Ireland as a just society.
On the pathways to be followed he failed to acknowledge that Government does have choices even within its difficult fiscal parameters. Ireland is a low-tax country when we add together all taxes, social insurance and local charges. Yet he persisted with his claim that we must cut services by more than we increase taxes. That is simply a choice government is making.
On jobs he presented a few proposals but nothing of scale that would suggest there is a credible strategy for the short to medium term that would inspire confidence and hope for the unemployed, for people completing their studies or those others likely to be joining the labour market in the years immediately ahead.
Last week we asked some commentators what they thought the Taoiseach should say. This is what they thought of his message last night.
SUSAN McKay
Chief executive of the National Women’s Council of Ireland
I felt that the Taoiseach’s speech was incoherent. He told us that we weren’t responsible for the crisis and gave us a kind of general absolution then he thanked us for taking responsibility and then he told us that we were all going to have to pay for it.
He didn’t recognise in any way the way the particular ways that this crisis is impacting upon women. His only reference to women was the rather patronising story about the woman in Limerick who had told him about how her husband had got a job and how it had helped his dignity.
He didn’t talk in any way about the fact that an awful lot of women are at the moment considering how they are going to cope with loss of child benefits and wondering if they can continue to afford to work.
There was no gender or class analysis, it was as if we were all in the same boat. Obviously it is simply not true to say “let me tell you you are not responsible”, some of the people listening are responsible for the crisis we are in and continue to fail to take responsibility.
Ultimately the reference to the founding fathers of our nation was uncalled for. This nation was founded by the efforts of men and women.
DAVID FARRELL
Chair of politics at UCD
In his performance he did fine. He had the right mood, looking sombre and looking quite serious and I have to say I quite liked the phrase he used early on, directly to all of us, “you are not responsible for this crisis”.
That is probably the first time that I can think of that one of our political leaders has actually said that, that we should not be kicking ourselves and blaming ourselves for it.
I thought his manner and tone were fine and there were no slip-ups, and it seemed to be pretty well scripted and all of that, but I found myself thinking at the end of it all, “what was the point?”
In some ways it was almost as if this would have been better timed after the budget rather than before because clearly he wasn’t going to be able to give away too many secrets this side, so content-wise there wasn’t an awful lot there.
I was desperately looking for any choice phrases that might mark this speech out from many of the others made by taoisigh in the past but I was struggling to find much to be honest.