There is no easy way forward

There is no easy way forward


George Hook

I am very honoured to be asked to contribute to The Mayo News on a regular basis. Over the years, the west of Ireland has played an important part in my life. As a businessman, although unsuccessful, I did the catering at Galway Races; similarly fed the crew and extras during the filming in Killala of RTE’s, Year of the French; and when the government placed a ring of steel around Ashford Castle for the visit of Ronald Reagan, 4000 policemen needed sustenance.
However, it was rugby that gave me some of my best memories. To coach Connacht was a huge thrill and being part of a period that produced so many internationals obviously gave me great satisfaction. The friendships have been enduring from coaching at interprovincial and club level. I remember fondly the Bourke brothers in Ballina. Ollie taught me a lot about coaching and Aubrey, sadly deceased, was one of the bravest players I ever saw.
Mayo has special political memories also. I was proud to see Enda Kenny elected as Taoiseach given that I was reared on my mother’s knee to see Fine Gael as the best political option. I have marvelled at Michael Ring’s work rate and was thrilled when he retained his junior ministry. In the coming weeks and months I have no doubt there will be much political comment in this column, some supportive and some not so supportive. With the constituency changes in the offing, there will be a dogfight in Mayo at the General Election and I hope to reflect that.
Sport too will feature in the column, as my interest in rugby remains constant despite my decision to retire from television in March 2015. Retirements and transfers abroad will weaken the Irish provinces and next season will reflect the ancient Chinese toast, “may you live in interesting times.”
Above all, the economic situation will dominate the conversation over the next 18 months. The Irish people have borne austerity with bravery but it is vital that just when the tide is turning in our favour that we do not give in to the harbingers of ease and comfort. There is no easy way and the local and European elections seemed to indicate that we were beginning to believe that “happy days are here again.” We must demand truth from our political representatives.
The gap between rich and poor is once again widening despite the high-profile bankruptcies of major developers. It is hard to believe that they are down to their last euro when many of them can be seen at major social events, wining and dining the hangers-on that still court the limelight cast by the rich.
There seems little doubt that the very rich had access to best legal and accounting advice that money could buy to facilitate the transfers of money away from the eyes of NAMA and other authorities. Thankfully, the newly constituted Anglo Irish Bank and others are following the money trail with an almost religious fervour. The taxpayer, irrespective of cost, must make this country no safe haven for financial buccaneers.
The next 18 months will determine the future of the country for decades to come. It is not just about economic sovereignty but also about the kind of Ireland we want for our children and grandchildren.
Education, for so long our greatest achievement, is under threat; the racial cohesion of the population will present enormous challenges; and there will be inter-generational unemployment with households lacking a single working person.
Welfare payments and especially the old-age pension will become unsupportable, and today’s politicians, with no regard for the future, are ignoring the time bomb of an ageing population that will make up the majority of the inhabitants of the island. The working population will decrease as a percentage and the welfare costs will be untenable.
There is now almost a million native born Irish living outside the country. That almost guarantees that every family in the land has close relatives living far from home. Many will make new lives abroad but equal numbers will want to return if the promised economic recovery takes place. There should be positive discrimination to lure Irish-born people back home, to share in the prosperity hard won by their families.
As I grow older I find that I grow increasingly upset with the cavalier attitude to the rights of our citizens. Forgive me if I sound off some weeks in the column.
Each week the column will try and entertain and inform, and reader feedback means a lot to me, so please have your say and respond by email to my musings to the address above.