The futility of pulling punches

Pat Rabbitte published a pamphlet last July that deserves more attention than it has obtained so far.

It is a thoughtful elucidation of our present circumstances and it proposes an outline of a social democratic society, which, he believes, offers a marked contrast to the society favoured by the present Fianna Fáil/Progressive Democrats neo-liberal formula. It is by far the most impressive reflection by any political leader here for a long time of what politics is about and what a party of the left should be trying to achieve.

There is a fair bit of windy rhetoric throughout, but here and there he gets specific. He says the achievement of a fair society requires the application of 10 principles, which include unlocking human potential; embracing the market, but regulating it; investing in people; investing in good public services; and leaving no-one behind.

There is a pretty radical elaboration of the first of these principles - the unlocking of human potential. He says: "The biggest barrier to personal fulfilment in society was seen to be that of class and the exploitative nature of untrammelled capitalism."

But in the very next breath he backs off. He says: "But at the individual level there are other barriers too, that we have to recognise." And it is these "other barriers" that he confronts, not "untrammelled capitalism".

One way or another there is no confrontation with what he identifies as the main barrier to the unlocking of human potential: the class nature of society.

The embracing of the market but regulating it principle has more embrace than regulation. Not much that the Progressive Democrats would cavil with here. But not much that many others on the left either would cavil with nowadays.

The investment in people principle turns out to be fairly tame as well. It means "having an education system that is second to none" (the late John Kelly used to do a hilarious routine on the "second to none" palaver that is routine in Irish politics), offering pre-work and in-work training, being prepared to retrain and upskill people at different points in their lives, and never setting any limits on how much a person can learn.

Rabbitte goes on: "Ireland needs better public services. That is a central challenge facing Labour. If our economy is to grow, our society to become more equal, our environment to be protected and our quality of life to be enhanced, then public services must be improved. We need better schools, better hospitals, better policing, better care in the community, better services for people with disabilities, better roads, better railways, better waste management and so on and on."

We know, we know; even the PDs know. Okay, the PDs and Fianna Fáil might have degraded public services, but there is no ideological disagreement here.

A little further on there is a snatch at a nettle. "There may also, however, be a requirement for greater tax revenues. Such revenues should be raised in the first instance through developing a fairer tax system, ending the tax breaks which have been built into the system to benefit wealthy individuals, and generating a fairer share of revenues from taxes on capital gains, inheritances, and profits from land speculation."

It would have been impressive if he had been specific here. We are all in favour of a "fairer" tax system, so let's leave that aside. By ending tax breaks for the wealthy, I thought Charlie McCreevy had been getting around to that. Anyway, not much to argue about here either. But higher inheritances and capital gains taxes! Tell us more. How much higher?

Does he propose reverting to the 40 per cent capital gains tax level? If so, why not say so?

Later on he says: "Equality of opportunity can only be achieved on the basis of a reasonable degree of equality of 'outcomes'. The distribution of income in Ireland is one of the most unequal in the advanced world, and that must change."

But tell us more. How will this be changed and changed by how much? He goes on: "The left must not, however, allow itself to become fixated on income to the exclusion of wealth. It is a common feature of advanced economies that wealth is more unequally distributed than income. Equally, it is true that asset ownership confers major benefits and opens up economic and social opportunities. The State, therefore, has a role to play in developing a fairer distribution of assets, including through initiatives to promote asset accumulation from a young age."

Again a radical insight into the nature of inequality followed by a limp prescription.

I suspect Pat Rabbitte was fully aware of the punches he was pulling in this document but also convinced that if social conditions for the deprived are to be improved, political realities demand those punches be pulled. For there to be fairness here, what are known as "the political realities" have to be changed. And they cannot be changed by committed, able people such as Pat Rabbitte pulling punches.