Thanks for the promise, Paschal, but get on with it

IT would be too easy to dismiss all politicians as only being in the game for reasons of self-advancement or to line their own pockets.

Nonetheless, this column has always been of the opinion that they are a breed apart from the rest of us.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, it’s my firm belief that the sort of people attracted to a career in politics

are either (a) in love with the sound of their own voice; (b) like calling the shots; (c) convinced they know better than everyone else and reckon they’re doing us a favour by offering to ‘serve’; or (d) a combination of all the above.

I still haven’t figured out which of those categories Paschal Donohoe falls into, but I am working on it.

What I will say in his favour is that he sounds a reasonably sensible individual, insofar as that can be said about anyone who runs for elected office. Over the weekend, Mr Donohoe stuck his head above the parapet to share his thoughts on the country’s future as we head into another year.

Writing in a Sunday newspaper, he pledged that ‘serious inroads’ will be made in dealing with the housing crisis over the next 12 months. He added: ‘We have already made progress, but in 2018 we must – and will – build more homes, tackle housing waiting lists, and reduce homelessness.’

Fine sentiments, and I don’t doubt that he means every word of them. But we have been hearing the same old stuff from Eoghan Murphy and others for what seems like an eternity now. Just a thought, but perhaps we might start seeing results if ministers spent more time doing their jobs and less time putting their names to newspaper articles.