Sir, – Leo Varadkar and his team are doing a very good job at this time, dealing with a situation that has no precedent in our history and for which no one could have been prepared. However, while not taking anything from this display of leadership, the need to form a new government with all of the authority and scope of responsibility needed has never been more urgent.
Focus now is rightly placed on Covid-19, and that is as it should be. And while the nexus of focus is on healthcare, we are in a situation where children’s development and care are disrupted by school and childcare closure. Transport is a critical infrastructure matter for the country, more so than ever. Tourism, a vital part of our economy, has collapsed. And people are turning to social protection measures to ensure that they can live. In each of these cases, the people holding ministerial responsibility, as well as constitutional and legal authority, were not re-elected. These are not insignificant areas of government.
The crises that dominated our election in February have not gone away and insofar as these issues affect real people, such as those who are homeless, we need solutions for these people now just as much as when we voted in February.
Ireland will emerge from this crisis, whether in four months or 14 months. And when we do, we need to be sure that we can spring back into action, that changes forced on us as a result of this crisis have been considered and can be put into place without delay. So yes, while the country is seeing leadership on display right now, it is clearly tinged with the sense of being temporary. The political parties need to get around the table and do it now. If anything, this time should mean that there are more areas of agreement than disagreement, so government formation should be easier. And frankly, the Green Party’s talk of a national unity government makes no sense. When this crisis is over, we will need continuity, to move as soon as the starting gun is fired. What we will not need then is the dissolution of a government and months spent forming a new one. – Yours, etc,
T GERARD BENNETT,
Bunbrosna,
Co Westmeath.