Regarding yesterday’s news of George Lee’s resignation some would say that with his resignation comes further confirmation that our political system is dysfunctional and needs fixing. In this they may be right, at least in part, but I have come to a different conclusion. Mr. Lee has has given us insight into Irish politics and thus provided us with evidence (not that more evidence was needed) that the politicians who vie for power are not suited to the job. My conclusion is that while our political system may benefit from some amendments it is really our politicians who we need to change.
During yesterday’s media frenzy over Mr. Lee’s resignation politicians and journalists have repeatedly implied that Lee needs to “serve his time” before having input into policy formation. What a strange idea! If I were in charge of a business (or country) I would not insist that a new comer “serve his time” before allowing him have input. What, for example, if the new comer has solutions to our problems? What if he has powerful, logically rigorous, empirically grounded arguments? Should we really ignore those arguments because he has not “served his time”, in favour of the incoherent arguments of an old-timer?
No I do not think so. The attitude which our politicians, journalists and commentators espouse nation-wide goes right against my natural scientific temperament. In science, we strive to maintain a fundamental principle which is thus: It is an argument that is of the utmost importance, not anything about the man who puts forward the argument. The attitude shown yesterday in the press revealed that politicians & co. do not hold this meritocratic and shrewd scientific principle, nay, they adhere to a naive attitude which my scientific colleagues I think would wish we humans would relegate to the Annals of Human Infancy. I think our country would be well served if we had politicians who placed more value in arguments themselves than the useless, un-meritocratic quality of time served.
Watching Mr. Lee in interviews on last night’s Frontline and Nightly News I was very impressed by his intelligence, honesty and candour. He is a man who does not hide behind the thin veil of political rhetoric which the likes of Brian Cowen and Enda Kenny hide behind. Mr. Lee is indeed of a higher calibre than such people and he, and men like him, are a credit to our Nation and the kind of men who, when they go unused, count as a great loss to politics. May we learn our lesson from yesterday’s event and change our politicians.
George Lee may well indeed be a cut above the rest in Leinster House but it was not on the basis of merit or his economic vision or policy that he was entered into Dáil Éireann. Had he not been the celebrity economics corespondent with the State Broadcaster I sincerely doubt that he would have achieved the electoral success that he did.
Maybe Lee would not have been elected into the Dáil had it not been for his familiar face and maybe he was not selected on merit but that was not really what I was trying to get across. My point was that the message that ran through yesterday’s reporting was the Lee did not serve his time and I was really just criticising this idea due to it’s uselessness.
I also decided to point out some of Lee’s strengths which I think are important to have in our leadership, and they are strengths which the significant majority of politicians lack.
I noticed some commentators saying that Lee did not have the temperament for politics but I think this is probably untrue. Lee may have a temperament which is different to the typical politician’s but if we had more people who are as honest, straight-forward and intelligent as Lee in the Dáil then the country would be doing well. I personally think the commentators are wrong in that they have things backwards, for it is really the current residents of Dáil Éireann who don’t have an appropriate temperament for running a country!
I think that Lee resigned out of frustration with the cronies in Dail Eireann. His resignation highlights the fact that old school politicians are too arrogant and out of touch. The politicians who have served their time have achieved nothing for Ireland.
The established politicians who have made the mess are determined to continue on regardless.
It is a tragedy that new blood in politics will be restrained by the cronies who presided over our economic downfall. How are we to move forward in such circumstances? Fianna Fail and Fine Gael will not provide any real solutions to our problems. Whilst our economy is teetering on the brink they are talking when they should be listening.
Ireland does not need career politicians. What we need are citizens to engage in politics with the common good in mind. That is what Lee tried to do, and it is ironic that men with the integrity to do a good job must walk away from politics out of self respect.
The cronies in the Dail, regardless of their party are happy with the status quo. As long as this is the case, we will never develop and we will never reach economic independence. For if the politicians don’t see what’s wrong with Ireland how can they take the steps to fix it?
To be honest I don’t think they want to fix what’s wrong. They are well insulated from the effects of their policies. You will not see any ambitious economic plan for the post recession Ireland. Their only answer was to bail out the banks and that wasn’t even an Irish idea.
The Lee resignation shows us that things will not change anytime soon and that is the saddest part. Our only hope is a new party uncorrupted by old boy network. Unfortunately the old boys get to decide if you can form a political party or not.