Labour and Fine Gael "Publish A New Departure for Social Partnership" or so it says on both the Fine Gael and Labour web sites. Oh great, says I, that'll confound Mickey Martin's "no plans, no policies, no programme" jibe. That's not a bad stroke, I think to myself, to publish something substantial and challenging when the media were expecting more hoopla utterly devoid of any meaningful political content. Right, I'll print off a copy and read it on the train on the way home. I go to the Labour web site. Nothing. Ditto Fine Gael's. The penny drops. Martin was right - not that he or his intellectually bankrupt party can talk, whatever Bertie says about Robert Putnam.
So what does this joint Mulingar Accord anniversary statement say anyway? The main thrust of it is about "a joint project to identify measures to minimise waste in public expenditure and to ensure more effective spending on quality public services". Well that's just great lads. There hasn't been a political party anywhere in the world that hasn't advocated something along these lines. Like there are parties that actively promote waste and poor value in public spending? Reading down through the statement there is a sensible checklist of measures to be looked at - sound enough in a technocratic sort of way.
Social Partnership is mentioned in the body of the statement in the context of "competitiveness challenges" (not much straying from the consensus of the last umpteen years here) and there is a nod towards possible reforms of the model itself. Slim pickings indeed. Some bright boy or girl has obviously read a bit of the academic literature on governance as there is reference to "cross-cutting issues where a One Government approach would deliver the targeted and integrated responses which have eluded the current silo thinking structure".
There's not much one could criticise here but there is nothing that is likely to excite or inspire. But I suppose that's the point. The journey towards the next election means everything and the main opposition parties are prepared to travel light in terms of political and ideological baggage. Choreography is more important than content. Perhaps if I wasn't a sort of lackadaisical member of one of these parties I'd be downright cynical instead of merely sceptical.
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