A heated, feisty and compelling debate about the future of Ireland graced the stage of The Cube on day two of the Dublin Book Festival, led by an excellent panel of journalists and economists; Vincent Browne, Shane Coleman, Justine McCarthy, Stephen Kinsella and Ken Foxe.
The evening was a perfectly balanced mix, beginning with panel-led monologues about what the government needs to do next to improve Ireland in terms of economy, growth and political reform, followed by an open question and answer forum with the audience.
With the gripping election so fresh in mind, there was a certain amount of hope and determination in the air, as well as distrust and anger. But as Stephen Kinsella suggested, “it’s time to recognise and accept the situation Ireland is in, and move on” – a statement which rightfully received a huge round of applause.
Major concerns around the representation of women in government were raised by the audience, culminating in a heady debate about whether positive discrimination should be used as an emergency measure to redress the imbalance. As you would probably expect, members of both the panel and the audience were divided in opinion, though all agreed that there would be improved results if the problem was addressed.
Other issues raised included an education system that doesn’t encourage questioning or investigative thinking, the need for Freedom of Information, the role of the media in delivering the truth and the necessity for long terms goals rather than knee jerk reactions. As Ken Foxe said, “it’s time to let people start finishing their sentences, to give them time to speak”.
From the “recent mass demonstration in democracy” (Justine McCarthy) to the need for transparency and accountability, it was clear that the audience and panel alike are looking forward to change that the new government can bring – as well as a change in the thinking of the general populous.
So, what will help Ireland step into a brighter future? The panel were asked to sum this up in as few words as possible to close the session: good people (Justine McCarthy), recognition, acceptance and moving on (Stephen Kinsella), belief in democracy (Shane Coleman) and focus on recovery (Ken Foxe).
The round of applause that closed the discussion showed that the audience fully agreed.
It would have been nice if Vincent introduced the speakers by name. If he did I missed it.
“The economist” in his closing remarks said people needed to recognise the scope and implications of ireland’s debt,
but in some sense the whole evening was
an exercise of denial – starting with the title: Towards a Brighter Future.
At the end of the day, another example of the narcissistic navel-gazing Irish spending an evening rhapsodising over their favourite topic: the Irish! See, e.g., the laughable ad for Terminal Two by DAA.
Posted by Bruce | March 4, 2011, 7:26 am