If Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita is to be taken as the definitive measurement of a country's wealth, then the United Nations Human Development Report regards this State as richer than all other EU countries, except Luxembourg, and almost on a par with Canada. The report also puts Ireland once more in the top 20 countries in the world based on GDP, education levels, adult literacy and life expectancy.
These are remarkable achievements of which the Government can be proud, but the good news ends there. The UN has also said Ireland has the second highest concentration of poverty amongst developed countries. The figures speak for themselves and put Ireland clearly in the Anglo-American camp as far as economic thinking and practice are concerned.
Only three developed countries are given a poverty rating of over 15 points in the UN table. The United States is worst at 15.8, Ireland next on 15.3 and the United Kingdom on 15.1. In these countries the practice of going for growth above all else has been prevalent.
In mainland Europe, where the Social Democratic and Christian Democratic traditions have formed the basis of economic and social policy since the end of the War, divisions between the "haves" and the "have nots" are not so wide. Germany, France and Spain each score fewer than 12 points while Sweden, with 6.8 points, has less than half Ireland's concentration of poverty. Ireland's GDP per capita is slightly higher than Denmark's but its concentration of poverty is 50 per cent higher.
The words of the veteran economist John Kenneth Galbraith ring as truly as ever: "As people become fortunate in their personal well-being, and as countries become similarly fortunate, there is a common tendency to ignore the poor or to develop some rationalisation for the good fortune of the fortunate." Galbraith added that "the fortunate individuals and fortunate countries enjoy their well-being without the burden of conscience, without a troublesome sense of responsibility".
Few will deny that these symptoms of selfishness and social division have developed here over the years. The Programme for Prosperity and Fairness was seen as an attempt to redress the balance. Indeed, its title had that objective in mind. If the UN statistics are to be considered an accurate yardstick, then prosperity for some has triumphed over fairness for all.
The report shows us to be among the fortunate nations of the world. It also poses some serious questions. Not the least of these concerns our willingness to tackle the growing divisions in our society.