A Failure of Irish Democracy

Irish people are, almost unanimously, great fans of the EU.

They see our membership as having brought only good changes to the country. Rightly in my view, they see our current prosperity as directly linked to our membership and regard the accession of the state to respectable standards in many areas as a product of the European influence. Without the EU, it is said, we could still have the marriage ban for women in the Civil Service, the ban on divorce, dirty beaches from Malin Head to Carnsore Point (in both directions) and corruption rife in government. (This is just a short version of a long list).

Many now reflexively attribute virtually all positive developments to "Europe" and the media encourages this. The obverse of this is a belief, often explicitly articulated, that we are not capable of governing ourselves in a competent or desirable manner. (Desired by whom ?)

Paradoxically, this persists at a time when the Irish are self-confident as never before in other areas of life.

Now, it has to be conceded that the record of self-government - taken as a whole over 85 years - inspires something less than pride. But are we really so lacking in self-belief that we have decided that democracy has failed in this country ?