As we brace ourselves for what is expected to be a blockbuster pre-election budget, it is interesting to note some of the political shadow games which have been playing out in the past few weeks — and particularly so in the realm of national infrastructure.
Pre-budget submissions are a common currency in the weeks and months leading up to any economic reshaping, but one that particularly caught the eye recently was that from the American Chamber of Commerce Ireland, which set out the organisation’s vision for the country as a foremost “location for talent to live and for business to invest”.
Noting that the factors that have enabled Ireland’s success thus far may not be the same as those which spur growth in the future, the American Chamber of Commerce Ireland outlines the “smart” policy and investment decisions which will deliver continued economic expansion.
One of the key elements to Ireland maintaining a competitive edge is “the delivery of vital infrastructure projects”, and it suggests that Budget 2025 presents an opportunity to provide for the adequate resourcing of such projects with the necessary additional funds being directed towards the delivery of the National Development Plan.
To ensure future growth, the American Chamber of Commerce Ireland recommended that the Government should strive to make progress in the areas of housing, planning, transport, balanced regional development, and healthcare.
It addresses specific needs in the south of the country, including the Cork Northern Distributor Road, the Cork Commuter Rail Programme and Cork Luas, and the delivery of the M20 Cork-Limerick road, as well as a reconsideration of the Galway ring-road, the development of the A5 Derry-Dublin road, and provision of balanced air connectivity to support Ireland’s regional airports.
This thoughtful document landed at a time when coalition partners Fianna Fáil and the Greens seemed at odds over infrastructure funding — and roads in particular.
Fianna Fáil leader and Tánaiste Micheál Martin favours multi-annual funding for Transport Infrastructure Ireland, something Transport Minister and Greens leader Eamon Ryan has nixed.
The Tánaiste went as far as to say he would be including the issue in his party’s next manifesto and would be part of the plan for any new government his party is involved with.
Tuesday’s budget might not be able to address these issues, but they need tackling and without delay.
The victory was clear enough, but the indictment was always going to come.
Despite having mopped up some 30% of the vote by the Austrian electorate, the right-wing Freedom Party and its pugilistic leader, Herbert Kickl, will probably never gain control of the levers of power in Vienna.
Delivering a stern rebuke to establishment parties, Austrian voters caught the zeitgeist of the current right-wing tide of populism sweeping Europe in their support of a xenophobic leader and his message.
But, despite being edged out of winning the popular vote, the country’s mainstream politicians and their parties have begun talks aimed at keeping Kickl and his supporters out of government by forming a coalition without their party.
The campaign promise made by chancellor Karl Nehammer not to build any coalition with Kickl was resurrected on Monday and realistically that means there will be no far-right influence on government within the country.
Mirroring right-wing gains in recent elections in France, Germany, and The Netherlands, as well as wins which have established rightist governments in Hungary, Italy, and Slovakia, the Austrian result is still merely symbolic as far as the Freedom Party is concerned.
It is a pyrrhic victory for Kickl, much as it was in the state elections in Germany recently for the Alternative für Deutschland party which, while winning significant popular support, remains locked out of government by other mainstream parties working together to exclude them.
The anti-immigration stance of Kickl, denigrating immigrants as criminals and welfare sponges, is a now familiar trope across Europe and a popular one too, but the nationalism he and others are trying to exploit has found little support from the political mainstream.
Founded in the 1950s by former SS members, both the Freedom Party and its leader are learning fast that it is harder to break down the establishment than envisioned.
We know that rural Ireland is changing and moving away from the traditions and livelihoods which have sustained it through generations, but the idea of tapping into the mood of change to make living outside our cities and towns more appealing and sustainable is one that is gaining traction.
As was revealed in the recent
Irish Examiner/Ipsos poll on rural Ireland, our accepted notions about agriculture and fisheries, family life, business creation, community living, and shared climate action are shifting fast and there is a gathering movement looking to exploit the mood for change.
The recent announcement that Allihies, a small town and community on Cork’s Beara Peninsula, is set to host an autumn school aimed at helping to shape a future for Ireland’s coastal and rural communities is definitely tapping into what is an evolving philosophy.
The organisers’ stated intention is that their efforts will not be hidebound by short-term thinking, but rather to create a template for communities up and down the country that will stand the test of time.
Locals, academics, and other experts will explore all manner of topics, from farming to geology to sustainable fishing to rural enterprise, and delve into matters such as community development and nourishment.
Organisers say that the stemming of emigration from rural Ireland in recent years and the return of many of those who left, as well as the surge of people seeking life fulfilment away from cities, has stabilised many rural and remote communities in a way that was previously unthinkable.
That being so, the idea of strategising a sustainable future in rural areas is an excellent one and, once again, highlights the inherent desire for greater rural community development across Ireland.