Three years after John A Costello declared a republic in 1949, his 24-year-old son Declan left the comfortable confines of South Dublin to stand for election in Dublin North West for Fine Gael. Declan Costello did not find a true republic on the doorsteps.
What he found was poor housing conditions, systemic unemployment and children with no shoes on their feet. In the 1960s, Costello began to articulate a view that it wasn’t right to create prosperity unless you created social progress through a just society.
A lot of water has passed under the bridge in the intervening 60 years, but we now find ourselves facing the continuing challenge of creating a just society. In 2020, the people spoke and pushed Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil closer together, eroding historical divides.
The Government doesn't work for the people in board rooms. It works for every citizen
Each of the three parties in government has its own identity but they seem to be united in purpose to humanise government, something which is badly needed in terms of tackling inequality, providing better public services and building a community-based society.
Affordable home ownership, affordable rents and a social housing programme, unequalled in the history of the State are a national imperative. To deliver on Tánaiste and Fine Gael leader Leo Varadkar’s ambition of 40,000 houses per annum and achieve a home ownership target of 70 per cent is going to be a Herculean task. Hopefully, the new Housing Commission, combined with public and private sector co-operation, will set a proactive agenda that will give the country a decent national housing strategy and turn these targets into reality.
Business should rightly expect support from the Government but needs to recognise that the Government doesn’t work for the people in board rooms, it works for every citizen.
Dignity and wages
Employment should not be just about numbers – it is also about dignity, freedom, and the ability to enjoy life. A living wage is part of that dignity. Remote and flexible working, sick pay, auto-enrolment and parental supports are all part of the mix that make Ireland a good place to work and, therefore, a great place to do business. It is good to see progress in this area.
Moreover, the decision to invest in broadband was fortuitous in the context of the pandemic. We are now able to champion remote working and to capitalise on an opportunity so suited to a small country like Ireland.
We must prioritise investment in early-intervention supports for children aged three to five with additional needs. A key national priority is to ensure childcare becomes a more attractive career path. We need to move to a childcare model, involving both the public and private sector, to reduce the intolerable burden of high childcare costs.
Post-pandemic, we must all play our part in helping to rebuild our charity and voluntary sector
In education, Ireland has achieved more than any country in Europe over the last 50 years. We are aware, however, that we are going to need sustained investment in education. A just society is all about prioritising education so that future generations of our young people can become all that they can be.
In health, there is much yet to be done in the areas of paediatrics, maternity care, geriatric care, bed capacity, primary care centres, mental health, addiction issues (including alcohol abuse and eating disorders), disability, post-hospital care and dental care. Health is about people and we need to aim high and deliver.
Voluntary sector
Every Irish citizen should be on board to move us towards a low carbon future. There is much opportunity for Ireland to become a world leader in green energy and, in doing so, create high-value jobs. The world has finite carbon resources, and our businesses will need to pivot to meet the resulting challenge head-on.
Our voluntary sector and sense of community is the greatest bulwark that we have against a “mé féin” society. Post-pandemic, we must all play our part in helping to rebuild our charity and voluntary sector.
Often, social solidarity is led by our older generation who have helped, with such courage, to build modern Ireland. For such a selfless group of people, to experience the isolation of the pandemic, has been an intolerable burden. We applaud their resolute dignity. We learn from them the value of social capital, which helps defeat isolation and builds on the “village effect”. This is what Ireland is about and it brings out the best in us all.
Global solidarity is important, and Ireland needs to work to influence world and European opinion in a more altruistic direction. We are an island nation and proud to say that we are members of an independent, ethical world where neighbours count. Irish people have made an outsized contribution to education and development around the world.
Leo Varadkar’s speech to the recent Fine Gael ard fheis is to be welcomed and the Government should receive credit for approaching significant issues with a much-needed degree of purpose, and with a real ambition to deliver a just society.
Mark FitzGerald is chairman of Sherry FitzGerald and a former trustee of Fine Gael