OPINION: Storms, sympathy and collective amnesia

THE esteemed leader of our nation could learn a lot from Taylor Swift.
In recent days Mícheál Martin has been popping up in different parts of the country enjoying picture opportunities and doling out his version of sincerity. Sadly, while the leader of the Government was smiling, nodding and stirring tea, countless thousands of people were sitting in their cold homes with no electricity, no water and little patience. The last thing they wanted to hear was the Taoiseach sympathising with them.
Unfortunately, Mícheál Martin, Simon Harris and those who have been in power over the years are highly skilled in sympathy delivery. Of course, they try to avoid anyone who might tell them the actual truth of a situation. However, if their handlers cannot manage to keep real people away from these important men, Martin, Harris and the likes have a way of nodding and sighing, as though they actually care about what the speaker is saying. Sometimes the mask slips as it did with Harris during the recent election campaign.
But the general public falls for the mock sincerity time and time again. In the wake of Storm Éowyn, the Taoiseach had his picture taken in numerous locations, sympathising with those impacted and promising action. Of course, the horse has long bolted and the time for action is so far in the past it cannot be seen.
Don’t be fooled by politicians and their spin doctors telling us that the new government had only been in place a few hours when the storm hit and so couldn’t prepare for it. The main two parties have been in government for more than a century. They’ve held the reins of power since the British Army sailed away, but they will try to convince us that they’ve only just sat themselves down on government benches for the first time.
The lack of foresight among those charged with running our nation is laughable. The storm’s impact created a national emergency, except that term wasn’t used. Maybe that’s because the biggest impact was on the west coast – and we all know the west doesn’t seem to be as important as other geographical areas.
Taylor Swift once famously said, “I like to prepare for everything beyond the extent of preparation.” The singer could teach the Irish Government quite a bit.
Preparations for storms like Éowyn should have been in place long before this. However, pre-planning seems alien to those who have led the nation for over a century. They have under-resourced our services – they have stripped the Army, Gardaí and Navy of numbers, finance and equipment – and when they impoverish the arms of the State that are meant to protect us, we’re left vulnerable.
Last week brought justified calls for the military to assist local communities still suffering the aftereffects of the storm. But the Government is slow to answer such requests because our army is a shadow of what it should be. Years of under-resourcing has left it in a shambles. The brave and talented men and women in green have been treated abysmally by successive governments.
Michael Martin, Simon Harris, Michael Lowry and anyone else in power will nod and sigh, drink tea and dole out sympathy. Sadly, they will do very little else. They know the storm damage will be fixed and people will move on with their lives. Sadly, they also know that when the next election comes around, the necessary majority of the electorate will once again suffer amnesia and forget all about the lack of preparedness, the state of the Irish Army, Navy and Gardaí, and the plight of every other service that has been shorn of resources time and time again.