OVER 1,000 people attended the highly anticipated Reform Alliance conference today, which was held in the RDS in South Dublin.
Political Reform
Three panel discussions took place throughout the day, starting off with the 90-minute Politics talk presented by veteran journalist Tom McGurk.
While journalist Olivia O’Leary first noted the absence of female faces in the audience, she commented on what most at the event would arguably say is true: “People don’t trust the State.”
Her speech was followed by a lively analysis of corruption in Ireland by Phillip Blond, philosopher and former advisor to British PM David Cameron. “The problem of Irish politics is mass patronage,” he said.
Blond advocated for the expansion of power in the Seanad, and expressed dismay at the current Government’s attempt to abolish the House.
Blond also advocated for the ‘right to recall’ politicians in order to hold them to account and remarked on Ireland’s contradictory entrepreneur model, which has created a tax haven for large multinational corporations, yet does very little to create a hospitable environment for young Irish SMEs and start-ups.
The final Politics speaker, political scientist Dr. Jane Suiter argued, among other things, in favor of transparency. She highlighted Ireland’s dubious track record in Freedom of Information compliance.
Reform ideas were taken from the floor, with audience members entitled to 2 minutes of speaking time – which got a little messy as the day continued, with various outbursts from those who were denied the microphone because of time.
Health Reform
Following a brief coffee break Irish Medical Independent June Shannon resumed the proceedings and chaired the panel on Health. By this point audience members were adjusting to the rules of the format, and continually chose to break those rules by yelling out their views when a microphone, yet again, escaped them.
Andrew Murphy, CEO of Sláinte, suggested everyone needed to “live the life of a hospital patient” to understand how much the current system is failing in society.
This was followed by Dr. Pat Doorley, Director of National Population Health, who recommended to “tip the balance of care” from hospitals to primary care, e.g. GPs. He also spoke about emphasizing prevention as a means to improve the health system.
Dr. Ed Walsh, Founding President of University of Limerick began his speech complaining about the fact that there is no “single computer system” in place in the Irish health sector.
Dr. Jimmy Sheehan, surgeon and co-founder of the Blackrock, Galway and Hermitage Clinics received the most applause with his comments that a new children’s hospital should not be located at St. James’s Hospital, but in Blanchardstown instead. An audience speaker highlighted a need to have it located at Tallaght Hospital.
All set for the opening prayer at the #Reform conference with @aileendonegan pic.twitter.com/ThV1VkjHaX
— Avril Ní Dhúill (@Jazz_flautist) January 25, 2014
Economy Reform
Respected economist David McWilliams chaired the final expert panel of the day. He described the economy simply as the “aggregation of us and what we do” and gave advice on how to cope with a crisis – a personal and financial one: “Define your reality honestly; Do something about it; And then you can deal with it.”
While McWilliams suggested that Irish society take a long, honest, hard look at the state of Ireland’s economy in order to get back to form, panel speaker and innovation consultant Eddie Molloy began his speech saying he feared another bust.
He said there was a “disregard for public money in the political system.”
Molloy criticised Ireland’s auditors and excessive use of ‘boards’ to resolve the State’s problems. At one point he received loud praise for saying: “[Ireland’s] internal inquiries are a farce.”
He appealed for reform in tackling exclusion, poverty and inequality in Irish society.
Alison Cowzer, Managing Director of The Company of Food, spoke highly of the agricultural sector in the country. “We are the envy,” she said, remarking on Ireland’s export power.
Entrepreneurial skills were mentioned a lot throughout the conference, most notably from Cowzer whose “Every secondary school student should learn entrepreneurialism in a structured way” line garnered much applause.
Venture Capitalist Brian Caulfield continued vying for entrepreneurship: “You get the behavior you incent,” he said. He spoke of the hostile environment for entrepreneurs in Ireland, while making the call for a single Irish tax system that unifies PRSI, PAYE and USC charges.
He said entrepreneurs should receive the same supports and benefits that employees get and recommended a small, dedicated team be put in Government to identify bad, unnecessary processes that put a huge barrier in the way of entrepreneurs looking to create of their own jobs.
Caulfield made sure to say he did not advocate for a flat tax, however, saying: “Wealthier people should pay more.” He also said the incentives for entrepreneurs in Ireland were “wildly uncompetitive” compared to other countries, particularly the US.
@aileendonegan yep , its so so sad :)
— pNibbler (@pNibbler) January 25, 2014
Closing comments
Lucinda Creighton TD described the economy discussion as an “excellent session”. She thanked everyone for travelling to the conference. Remarking on the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising she said the time was appropriate to “reflect and take stock” on the sort of “Republic we want.”
“We believe in a Republic that rewards entrepreneurship, innovation and crucially sustainable investment. These are the pillars that should underpin every policy decision which is made for the remainder of the lifetime of this Government,” she said.
When Creighton referred to the passed abortion legislation, which had her expelled from her Fine Gael party, she received a sustained applause in the hall, with many conference attendees taking to their feet.
The topic was avoided throughout much of the day – referenced briefly only by McWilliams who jokingly described himself as “the only pro-choice liberal in the place.”
#Reform conference in Dublin about reforming Irish politics still packed at the end of the day – still standing room only – amazing success
— Phillip Blond (@Phillip_Blond) January 25, 2014
