WE face into a New Year with hope. This year, however, is a little different as that hope is well founded. As we wait for the formation of a new Government, we have reason to be optimistic.
The General Election in November was not one of massive change. The electorate voted to retain the status quo as regards parties, but many of the faces have changed. And while the deal that is yet to be struck will come as no surprise to anyone, a slightly younger and more gender balanced Dáil can only be a good thing.
In 2025, we face many of the same issues we did in 2024 and 2023. Wars in Ukraine and Gaza have had directly affected our day-to-day lives and though inflation is slowing, high prices look set to remain. The cost of living in Ireland today is nothing short of scandalous. Those on lower to middle incomes would, in many cases, be forgiven for questioning the worth of their work, the value of their time versus what the State would provide if they decided to throw their hat at it and, if on the younger side, question their future in the Emerald Isle.
This is just one of the multi-faceted challenges facing the incoming TDs. It’s not one that will be sorted overnight, but Irish people have to hope that, rather than trying to turn the ship mid-term, that the new faces at the helm might have more success in steadying our trajectory over the coming five years.
It is hard for us to consistently hear that we are in crisis, or facing down impending crises. It is tiring and wears people down. On the one hand, we are being told that the Government is running a surplus, while down at your local shop, buying anything of consequence will cost you far more than you’d ideally like to pay for it.
This crop of deputies will oversee what happens next as regards our supports for Ukrainian visitors and International Protection applicants. They will frame housing and economic policy and set the tone for a society under pressure from all sides.
As we take our first steps into a new year, Ireland is in a quandry. Boasting an economy that is financially rich, we have too many areas in which we are societally poor. If this Government is to do one thing it has to be to balance these too extremes.
We have ample opportunity to invest in captial projects that will futureproof our island, while addressing current issues. We have the chance to make real change and real progress, but only if this Government keeps an eye beyond the term of this Dáil.
Short-term politics may make headlines, but the real value of having a seat at the table it to leave the country in a better position to that in which you found it.
We begin 2025 in the hope that this is your aim.
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.