It’s a year on from Fintan O’Toole’s damning critique of the Celtic Tiger model of development in Ship of Fools and his analysis of the political and economic decisions that sailed Ireland onto the rocks. In Enough is Enough he turns his attention to what he sees at the core problems at the heart of Ireland’s present woes and what needs to happen to rebuilt a new republic fit for purpose in the twenty-first century. Split into two parts, in the first half of the book he argues that there are five myths that shape how Ireland functions – these are 1) that Ireland operates as a Republic, 2) that people are politically represented, 3) that the Dail functions as a parliamentary democracy, 4) that every decent service was delivered by charity and through the church rather than by the state, 5) that Ireland is a wealthy country. In each chapter, he reveals through polemical argument how each of these supposed truths are in fact self-delusions; that there is in fact deep flaws in the nature of Irish political democracy that require fundamental redress. In the second half of the book, he sets out five ‘decencies’ that should underpin the ideals of new republic. These are the decencies of security, health, education, equality and citizenship. In an appendix he sets out 50 suggestions for immediate actions.
Enough is Enough is an engaging read. O’Toole writes with passion and at a level that is easy to follow. The argument is polemical and forceful, and he makes good use of sources and data to back-up his contentions. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it does feel a little rushed, but clearly this is a book trying to tap into and react to the zeitgeist. And he makes a convincing case that there are a number of problems with how the Irish political system functions and the ideals that underpin its operation that do need revisiting and revision. However, whilst he sets out the ways in which he would like reform, it is often at a quite conceptual or abstract level. Where there are specific suggestions, these often lack sufficient detail as to what changes would need to happen and their consequences. At a more general level, it is also not clear where the impetus and drive is going to come from to enact the kinds of changes he feels are necessary – it is certainly unlikely to come from the present political classes. In this sense, the book sets out a broad vision that provides a framing for a more detailed debate, but does not quite set out the road map he wishes for in his opening chapter, nor the mechanisms needed to shift citizens from the present map to his new one.
More broadly, politics and ideals, only gets us so far. Building a new republic will not simply consist of reconstituting the political base of society and hoping all else flows from that process. It is clear, to me at least, that we also need to rethink the Irish economic model predicated as it is on a form of neoliberalism. In other words, the book would have been more powerful if it had been widened to re-envisioning the broader political economy of the country. Clearly, setting out such a new vision would have been a more challenging task, but one that we undoubtedly need to undertake. That said, the book is nonetheless an important and timely contribution to the on-going debate about Ireland’s future and it deserves to be read and debated.
Rob Kitchin
November 11, 2010 at 1:29 pm
Thanks, Rob!
He has a point about the charity angle. This is the good thing about the shock! It is going to destroy many vested interests, but FOT is trying to suggest what should replace them.
Accountability is key. Anti-corruption has to be built in. Having it is a benefit. A necessity.
November 11, 2010 at 8:25 pm
To promote the book and discuss the ideas he booked the Theatre in Liberty Hall home to the revolutionary spirit of Larkin and Connolly who’s images are festooned everywhere but who;s spirit is well and truly rebuked. These guys need to earn a crust therefore the charged anyone that showed up discuss changing the old republic 10 Euro’s in. Something to do with the ideals of capitalism and the notion that there is never a free meal unless of course it is going down on your FAS expense account or your SIPTU special fund, nod nod, wink wink account!
Just before the end of the talk one of the union brethren crept up to the stage and informed a now blushing Fintan that they would have to scarper in the next 10 minutes. I kid you not, you see someone of the Union brass had noticed that proceedings were eating into their potential drinking time and they would be lucky to get a few scoops and if the discussion was opened to the floor? Good night Irene. Result was, O’Toole had to bring down the guillotine on proceedings in a manner favoured by the Ceann Comhairle and the whips of the dail whom Fintan had just raged against.
Four people were allowed to talk for all of one minute each before having the mike taken forcibly from them. At, 10 Euro’s a head in, the punters were seriously annoyed at the bearded brethren .