INSIDE POLITICS:Despite its faults, the GAA – this massive grassroots organisation – contributes immeasurably to national welfare, writes DEAGLAN de BREADUN
WHAT HOLDS a society together? A friend from South Africa raised the issue during a visit here. How do you ensure that disparate elements co-operate with one another for the common good? In South Africa the main fault-line is of course between black and white, but every society, including Ireland, has potential sources of division.
My friend asked what was the “cement” that kept different parts of a nation from going for each other’s throats? The role of the Gaelic Athletic Association in Ireland fascinated him because, as far as he could see, the GAA contributed a large proportion of the adhesive.
The historians tell us the association played a major role in healing the wounds of our stark and terrible, but mercifully short-lived, Civil War. Even today, despite the faults highlighted by its critics, this massive grassroots organisation contributes immeasurably to the national welfare.
There will be numerous politicians in attendance at tomorrow’s All-Ireland hurling semi-final in Croke Park between Cork and Kilkenny. In fact, there is hardly anybody in Leinster House who isn’t a big fan of hurling and Gaelic football, and they keep a close eye on soccer and rugby too (in some cases, better than they do on parliamentary business).
Indeed the game of hurling has a lot in common with politics. The contest is intense, with each side seeking to exploit the other’s weakness and deeply anxious to avoid giving an advantage to an opponent. Whether it’s the clash of the ash or the battle of the soundbites, the spirit is the same.
Becoming a GAA star is a great entrée to political life: Jack Lynch was the prime example. But you never think about their politics when they are on the field. Dyed-in-the-wool Fianna Fáil voters cheer for a player from a Fine Gael background who scores for the club or county team.
As they watch what should be a titanic contest between the Leesiders and the boys in black and amber, a few TDs might be tempted to draw an analogy with the current political situation.
Fianna Fáil are like Kilkenny, with an unbroken series of All-Ireland wins behind them, the latter on the playing-field, the former at the polling-booth. Cork are more like Fine Gael and Labour: past successes to their credit but hungry now to get out of the wilderness.
We know the date of the All-Ireland final (September 5th) but we don’t know when the 30th Dáil will be dissolved, only that it must be on or before June 14th, 2012 (five years from the day it first met) and that the general election must take place between the 18th and the 25th day after that.
Interestingly, out of 12 general elections since 1969, seven have been held in May or June. It’s a nice time of the year for canvassing, with a reasonable prospect of good weather and it is also easier to get people to the polling-booth, particularly the old and infirm. Although a snap election can never be ruled out, governments don’t like going to the country when the economic situation is bad. There has to be some sign that we are turning the corner and, in that respect, the latest Live Register figures are far from encouraging. It is one of the minor miracles of the economic crisis as it has played out in Ireland that there has been little or no social disorder. One minor fracas at the gates of Leinster House was about all. It reflects well on the level of cohesion in our society.
As it happens, Croke Park was where the agreement on pay and reform in the public service was negotiated – a major cornerstone of our current consensus. That deal was hard won and encountered serious opposition in some quarters.
Consensus has to be more than industrial, nor can it be equated merely with the absence of conflict. There has to be a sense of fairness and equality in a society, otherwise the cement that holds it together gets corroded. For example, the Cabinet recently approved the formation of a new group to examine how the large salaries and bonuses paid to chief executives of semi-State companies are calculated. Some chief executives have “packages” worth more than €500,000 per year. Their pay has to be approved by the line minister in charge of the relevant department and the minister for finance, so this is a perfect opportunity for Eamon Ryan, Noel Dempsey and Brian Lenihan to demonstrate their commitment to a more equal society.
The in-your-face inequalities are the worst: the remuneration for some of our prominent broadcasters is hard to swallow for people who are belaboured at the same time with adverts on the need to pay their TV licence. The Cork and Kilkenny players who will enthrall the spectators and broadcast audience at Croke Park tomorrow are members of an amateur association and they will not get paid a penny.