I love my country. I always will. But the so-called pillars that until now supposedly held it up never enthralled me. 

The church - we all know the betrayal there. The government - an ever-shifting tapestry of the underpowered, the undignified, the beholden,  the impotents - we all know that. . The judiciary - filth that follows the money flow. 

The fourth estate - has lost its voice and needs to regain it - but did it ever really have a voice and if it did, did it really use it?

The criminals … these days some carry more ammunition than the peacemakers. Others wear suits and hide behind the façade of financial institutions and collect nice bonuses for jobs badly done.

But the people … ah, now that’s where redemption lies. This nation is very good at enduring. We had a golden opportunity. We blew it with people carriers and trophy homes. Snakes and ladders, we’re back at the start.

But the people …. Ingenuity, compassion, creativity, warmth, necessity, stoicism, charity, energy, trust, ability,  ambition … the things that make us Irish … let’s go to war like salmon to the stream. A new world order will emerge. Decisions and actions now will decide how noble we truly are.

Our leaders of the future should be people of action. Not people who quote reports, policy documents and blueprints or are ordered around by overpaid civil servants or flanked by PR people. Stop appeasing, stop finessing, just do something.

Apologists and ditherers and yokels who sound ‘Stage Irish’ and have nothing to show for their years in office but stuttering and posturing on morning radio are doing nothing for families who need to put food on the table.

A change is coming, it’ll take a while but hopefully it’ll be a good change. Let’s never be short-changed again.