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Referendum fallout: What can we learn from Government’s crushing defeat?

IT Sunday: Our writers examine what the results mean for the future of Irish politics and society; plus a round-up of the latest columns only for subscribers

Illustration: Paul Scott

The referendum results tell the story of 'insiders versus outsiders', writes David McWilliams. Illustration: Paul Scott

Sun Mar 17 2024 - 07:57

Welcome to this week’s IT Sunday, a selection of the best Irish Times journalism for our subscribers.

In his column this weekend, David McWilliams is reflecting on the results of last week’s two referendums, and what can be learned from their crushing defeat. Given the disparity between the political consensus of parties backing Yes-Yes, and the eventual results, McWilliams views the vote through the lens of “insiders versus outsiders”. “Those on the inside, those with access to power and influence, aren’t listening, forcing those on the outside, who feel locked out of the system, to shout louder,” he writes.

In the column, McWilliams focuses in particular on one area of concern that helps to perpetuate these societal divides: inheritance. “Families that pass down substantial assets over generations wield significant influence across various spheres from politics to business and media, stifling social mobility and limiting the ability of ordinary citizens to participate meaningfully in the democratic process,” he writes. “Democracy promotes the idea of meritocracy; inheritance and wealth take this away.”

On the topic of the fallout from the referendums, Jennifer Bray last week explained the five reasons why the Yes side failed and the No campaign won the day.

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Hugh Linehan is also sifting through the results, with a view to analysing what they could mean for the future of Irish politics. Linehan says the results themselves are hard to read into with any certainty, given the wide array of people who rejected the proposed changes – for very different reasons. “The result is a sort of political Rorschach test on to which anyone can project their own meaning. For some, the care amendment fell because it was insufficiently progressive. For others the opposite is true. Many voters were clearly persuaded by the argument that the wording of the text was dangerously ambiguous.”

Turning away from politics, Corinna Hardgrave this week visited Waterford, where a clever tasting menu earned The Old Couch four stars. “There is a brightness and immediacy to the food here, and clearly the chef is enjoying the agility of bringing many influences to his dishes. This reverberates in the room where the atmosphere is friendly and everyone seems to be having a good time,” writes Hardgrave.

Roe McDermott is answering her latest reader query this weekend – from a person whose boyfriend is spending all of his surplus income on his mother so she can keep up an extravagant lifestyle. “She uses all kinds of emotional strategies to get her way and I have run out of patience with her, and prefer not to have direct contact. He has already borrowed money from me on two occasions and hasn’t paid me back. His salary is higher than mine but is drained by her constant pleas for help financially. I feel frustrated and don’t know what to do,” says the reader.

In her own advice column during the week, Trish Murphy responded to a mother who says she now realises her son is in a narcissistic relationship, completely controlled and manipulated. The reader says she has not seen her son for three Christmases: “I am acquainted with grief and sorrow, but, believe me, this experience, as a mother, has been the hardest of all. Added to this is the maternal worry for his mental wellbeing. While respecting his boundaries, I have kept up occasional texting, although it was challenging when I often got no reply. But I’m glad that I did now as I feel a shift recently and a little more openness in his brief texts. I am not given to shame or secrecy, and there is a lot of unnecessary shame around family estrangement – it is more common than we realise.”

Today is St Patrick’s Day, which presents Patrick Freyne an opportunity to reflect on our national heroes – the real ones: icons such as the screaming statue of Luke Kelly down near the Convention Centre; Cillian Murphy’s piercing blue eyes; and the cardboard cut-out of Barack Obama at Obama Plaza. Enya, too. Read Freyne’s full list here.

If you’re looking for recipes to celebrate the day, Mark Moriarty has two dishes in which traditional Irish food meets the future: mini Dingle pies with mint sauce; and slow cooker Irish stew. Elsewhere, Brianna Parkins gives her rundown on what it really means to be Irish – but you won’t find any of these insights in a guidebook. “Irish people in general harbour what I like to call dangerous levels of optimism. Also referred to as the ‘sure it’ll be grand’ mentality. This is the equal parts endearing and terrifying belief that everything will work out in the end.”

Naturally, today is a busy one for parades and events around the country – we’ll be providing live updates on irishtimes.com throughout the day.

This year’s Six Nations concluded on Saturday, with Andy Farrell’s Ireland side doing enough to secure the win against Scotland in Dublin – and with it back-to-back championships. Gerry Thornley has a full report on the game here, while John O’Sullivan rated player performances after the final whistle – Robbie Henshaw, Jamison Gibson-Park and Andrew Porter stood out in what was not a vintage display.

In this week’s On the Money newsletter, Dominic Coyle writes about how much money you can get from a pension annuity – and, by extension, how finding out that information is harder than it should be. Sign up here to receive the newsletter straight to your inbox every Friday.

As always, there is much more on irishtimes.com, including rundowns of all the latest movies in our film reviews, tips for the best restaurants in our food section and all the latest in sport. There are plenty more articles exclusively available for Irish Times subscribers here.

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