As a successful ambitious country, Ireland should now apply its "can-do" approach to social reform, including recognition of gay and lesbian relationships, writes Kieran Rose
These are exciting and hopeful times in Ireland. After centuries of decline our population is growing strongly and predicted by Eurostat to grow by 45 per cent by 2015.
Ireland is one of the most globalised nations and and instead of mass emigration, we now have significant immigration - 167 languages are spoken in Ireland today.
There has been major progress in nearly every aspect of Irish life; economic, social, cultural and in terms of our self-confidence and in the rights and freedoms of people in this country. Lesbians and gay men have benefited from and contributed to this fundamental progress. There is an entire younger generation of gay people who have no memory of being criminalised, who take equality legislation for granted.
These young gay people have high expectations for themselves and their society and see no reasons why their horizons should be limited. Previously many gay people had to emigrate for two reasons; to get a job and to be in a society where it was possible to live openly and happily as gay; now gay people are coming to this country for the same two opportunities.
A symbol and encouragement of this progress was the Taoiseach's unveiling of the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network's "Building Sustainable Change" programme and his opening of the network's offices.
This raises the issue of what progress still needs to be made. The key outstanding legal issue for lesbians and gay men is the recognition of our intimate relationships. There is no reason why there should not be an equality of rights and responsibilities for all, in other words civil marriage for same-sex couples. As a country our self-confidence has increased fundamentally - we now have a "can-do" success-orientated approach. We recognise that in a world fast-forwarding to the future, we can and must compete effectively at a global level and continue to be at the cutting-edge.
There is no reason why this approach cannot also apply to areas of social reform. So in the recognition of gay relationships, our aim should be to become the sixth country in the world after Spain and South Africa to provide for civil marriage for lesbians and gay men. These high expectations and commitment to delivery should apply across the board; for example, given our current resources, there is no reason why we should not finally and conclusively tackle the heritage of poverty and disadvantage in this country which also affects gay people.
This social progress should be achieved for its own sake but there is an additional benefit. Tolerant societies are able to attract talented, creative people who contribute to technological innovation. In The Rise of the Creative Class, Richard Florida showed how jobs are now following people, rather than the other way round. His emphasis on tolerance comes from the recognition that creative people prefer to live in places which are ethnically and socially diverse.
Recent research ranks European countries according to three interlinked factors - the 3Ts of economic growth - which Florida and others argue, are indicators of a country's creative potential: talent, technology and tolerance.
One of the worst aspects of the old Ireland was the mindset that high ambitions or expectations were futile if not ridiculous for us in this country (not for our emigrants); failure was to be expected, almost welcomed. Change was something to be feared.
One of the most life-affirming aspects of contemporary Ireland is the sense of self-confidence, the optimism and the determination to succeed. The Gay and Lesbian Equality Network has a strong commitment to effectiveness and is highly ambitious and positive about what can be achieved for Ireland and for our communities: we do not believe in "moral victories".
Glen is not here to manage our marginalization but to abolish it, to make ourselves as an organization redundant in the shortest possible time. We are working towards a society where being gay/lesbian is unremarkable; where it is possible to be openly gay/lesbian and be elected taoiseach. Where a gay couple expressing ordinary affections in public would be seen as ordinary. Where a teenager can come to terms with their sexuality and have all the support from their parents, siblings, friends, school and society at large. Where parents will not worry or have any greater concerns when their child says they are gay. This fundamental progress is possible; the only limitation is our ambition and our determination as a society to deliver the changes.
One of the great barriers to progress is a reactionary nostalgia for the "good old days". When and what were those exactly? The days of mass unemployment, mass emigration and TB? Authoritarianism, class deference and stultifying social control? The days of no divorce but where married couples did not talk to one another for 20 years?
I do not think you could find one gay person who laments the passing of the "good old days", those days of criminalization and the closet, of hierarchies when people knew their place.
Kieran Rose is chair of Glen, the Gay and Lesbian Equality Network