Again in that Doughty Street discussion one thing became clear was the huge inertia that exists within the Republic’s political system. Hopes of political renewal are often quickly dashed when, as Fintan O’Toole notes in his CiF blog this evening, the election result gives into weeks of internal horsetrading, and out comes an amalgam of government parties who’s capacity to make clear executive decisions are further curtailed by the preordained priorities of the social partners. Consensus government at its very best? Or the prosaic politics of a corporatist state? The former, perhaps. Or at least so long as the economy remains bouyant.
Mick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty