The dire consequences of short-term politics

The View

Quite suddenly it seems to me that we are moving very rapidly towards Christmas – it is just 12 weeks away and the shops are already beginning to offer Christmas decorations and presents! I was pondering on how rapidly time has passed in this strange coronavirus half-world which we have been inhabiting – a world in which our normal freedoms which we took so much for granted have been dramatically curtailed.

We are emerging from that strange state gradually, but, as we do so, we are facing what can seem like a perfect storm – political differences are becoming more and more obvious again in Northern Ireland and indeed in the Republic. Brexit has caused many supply problems, the Covid-19 pandemic it seems has exacerbated those problems because many industries, forced to close during the pandemic, have lost staff, some of whom have returned to their home country because of Brexit. Supply chains have been disrupted. In the UK, energy and fuel supplies appear to be threatened. Street protests are becoming more frequent and less well policed.

Fragilities

All this suggests that the fragilities in our systems which are the result of short-term political actions over many years are becoming more obvious.

However, out of every crisis there is an opportunity – the enhanced opportunities for cross-border trade, for example, are obvious as we go about our daily shopping. The availability of training can encourage those who have lost their employment during Covid-19 to retrain and fill some of the many employment vacancies which now exist. People cannot, however, just transition from one set of skills to another without financial support – there will be months before new HGV drivers, new carers etc., will be working again, with all that that means for personal well-being.

There is another opportunity though and it may seem naive to suggest it – there is an opportunity for the development of a greater level of honesty and integrity in our politics and our world so that we may come to trust more readily again. It is no coincidence that a recent  surveys of trust in professions revealed the greatest trust in nurses and doctors. Politicians, government ministers and business leaders score very badly.

There are problems which will be much harder to solve such as energy supply issues, but we do need to step back and reflect on where we actually are in this world of ours and why we are there. For example, it is undoubtedly the case that there is an increase in the incidence of flooding in recent years. This is attributed to climate change. However, it is also the case that we relaxed our vigilance in ensuring flood prevention processes: where previously there was a recognition that water needed to be able to drain away and that flood plains were an essential part of land planning, we have allowed building on those flood plains, so that the routes through which water can be removed are no longer there. As individuals, increasingly we make driveways out of gardens, install paving rather than grass. We no longer routinely clean the storm drains as we once did. It is no surprise therefore that we do have a greater incidence of flooding than previously. All those problems can be fixed by simple changes in how we live, allowing the water to escape once more.

Revelations

In the UK there are major problems in housing following the revelations after the Grenfell tragedy. In Ireland houses are unfit to live in because of the Mica problem.

Such problems would not have arisen had governments remained vigilant and ensured that building processes were properly managed. More and more people wanted good housing with accessible shops and schools, for example, (a perfectly legitimate aspiration) but this did require a level of national management and regulation which quite simply did not occur. Greed and lack of necessary regulation lead to major problems for ordinary people.

We need as a society to plan holistically to create the kind of world we want to live in – not subjected to undue influence by particular sectors who have undue influence in our world.

The business of governance is challenging – there are so many competing priorities to be considered. If we do not have a flourishing economy we will not have the national income to provide the houses, the schools, the infrastructure. There are many possible solutions to problems – each with their own cost. There are thousands of lobby groups across all sectors from industry to social care and support. They make cogent cases for particular action. Those with the greatest resources are often heard more readily. Short term solutions to problems often do not serve us well because the original problem – be it lack of housing for example which is remedied by building housing estates on the outskirts of a town without all the necessary infrastructure – is not resolved and other very difficult problems result from the associated isolation, lack of access to transport and facilities etc.

The ongoing erosion of the social fabric of our society is patently obvious. We can all contribute, though, to easing the consequential problems –  homelessness, poverty, poor health, loneliness, suicide.

Scandal

It is a national scandal that we still have such levels of poverty, that little children have no place to call home, that our people need food banks to be able to eat. As Catholics we could look at our immediate world and ponder on what each of us could do to make the world a better place for all of us. We can put pressure on politicians to provide the basic infrastructure of a society  including homes. We can demand more honesty and integrity in the processes of government. All these things we can do, but we can also make sure that, each day or each week maybe, we consider what we have done to alleviate the loneliness which we know exists, to help those for whom life is so very difficult. We cannot just leave it to charities.

Maybe, as we contemplate the run up to Christmas we could each, politicians, industry leaders, professionals, members of the community commit to working for and with others with integrity and compassion  to rebuild the trust which is fundamental to a healthy society.

As the Christ child came to bring hope and salvation to the world, so each of us, no matter our circumstances have the capacity to be a force for good in our community and in the world as this Christmas approaches. This is what we are asked to do as Catholics, after all.