The Irish Times view on the Government after the referendum: time is short and it needs to get on with key measures

A week of relative political calm has followed the voters’ overwhelming rejection of the Government’s proposed constitutional amendments last weekend, facilitated by the annual exodus of ministers for St Patrick’s Day events around the world, most notably the Taoiseach’s visit to Washington DC.

Undoubtedly the blame game within Government has been in full flow, but the Dáil schedule is the Coalition’s friend right now: in recess this week to allow for the ministerial migration, the Dáil returns for two days next week and then rises for a fortnight for the Easter holidays. Ministers who have legislation to pass and programmes and reforms to complete might note that there are just 40 sitting days until the summer recess. After that, who knows? Time is ticking on for a Government now definitively in its last year.

There may be, in the light of the referendum humiliation, a perhaps understandable tendency for ministers to shy away from pushing ahead with difficult reforms or proceeding with their legislative programme. The coherence of the Government will come under pressure as it nears its conclusion. But timorousness would be the wrong response to political adversity. Voters are unlikely to reward a Government that obviously loses faith in itself.

It is not as if there is a shortage of pressing issues that demand political attention; there remains much for the Coalition to do. The sight of hundreds of tents on the streets of Dublin is testament enough to the fact that the Government’s efforts to deal with the increase in the number of people seeking asylum here is patently insufficient. As the pressure on accommodation and services from those fleeing the war in Ukraine slowly abates, more must be done to provide accommodation for asylum seekers from elsewhere while their claims are being considered. At the same time, it is essential to secure the co-operation of host communities lest they become receptive to the toxic xenophobia of the far-right.

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The biggest domestic challenge remains increasing the supply of housing. The numbers are creeping up, but not quickly enough. In the medium term, this will be assisted by the reform of our confused and obstructive planning regime; the mammoth new planning Bill, currently being teased out in committee stage in the Oireachtas, needs to be pushed through, while also ensuring its provisions are workable.

There are other pressing priorities that ministers would be better served addressing than licking their referendum wounds. A difficult budget looms, balancing the need to roll back cost of living supports with the political realities of the pre- general election period. Local and European elections are looming. Improvements in the health service are too slow. The list is long, and time for this Government is growing short.