We can build a better Ireland
Ensure our healthcare will help all fairly Holiday at home to boost local business
NOW is the time to reshape our country as we slowly emerge from the Covid-19 crisis. We have been through a tough ordeal and will continue to navigate uncharted waters for some time to come, but in many ways this is a golden opportunity for a rebirth; a new beginning.
The Irish Sunday Mirror is backing calls for A Better Ireland, offering a platform to parents, workers, communities, campaigners and charities alike to help mould our post-pandemic nation.
We have an obligation to shift our priorities and move towards a more equitable society, where justice is key and compassion is king.
If we’re all going to be involved in rebuilding this country – as we should be – then it’s up to us, the media, to give people a voice and highlight the issues.
As brutal as our coronavirus battering has been, it has brought many issues to the fore and proven how quickly we can tackle inequality when the will is there.
We were told we could not have a rent freeze nor ban evictions as they were unconstitutional.
But guess what? Both were brought in, virtually overnight.
We were told the homelessness crisis was a “complex” issue which would take years to tackle.
But guess what? The powers that be sprang into action.
We were told our private hospitals could not be opened up to public patients, yet that is exactly what happened at the height of the emergency. Let us continue to strive for: Universal healthcare Decentralisation, to revitalise rural Ireland
More flexibility around working from home
A fairer housing system to tackle homelessness
A renewed respect for the natural environment Affordable and flexible childcare A stronger sense of community No to fast fashion and yes to shopping locally A surge in staycations, and An overhaul of the nursing home system.
No longer is it acceptable to dole out healthcare prioritised on the size of someone’s wallet or policy – quality healthcare is the right of each and every citizen of the State.
It might sound simplistic, and the temporary arrangement put in place during the pandemic may have been costly and far from ideal, but it is doable.
Estate agents have seen a surge in inquiries from city dwellers seeking to buy a home in rural Ireland – and let’s hope it continues. Towns and villages ravaged by the last recession have not recovered. New blood will breathe new life into these communities. The days of rising at dawn for the two-hour commute to and from the office for those who can work remotely ended abruptly in mid-march. Do we yearn for their return? No is the majority verdict. Once high-speed broadband reaches every home, and the sooner the better, let’s kick the commute to touch.
We’ve heard for years why the housing crisis cannot be solved overnight.
Maybe so, but with the right political will we can significantly reduce homelessness.
The temporary rent freeze needs to be extended for at least three years and the ban on evictions likewise. Why take the first tentative steps in the right direction only to double back and continue down the wrong path?
Thanks to less traffic and fewer emissions, we have cleaner air – and a newly-discovered love for the natural environment around us.
Time to build on it and protect our habitats by clamping down on illegal dumping and doing even more to encourage walking and cycling as viable transport alternatives.
Flexible and affordable childcare for all is a key plank in any model for progress and the temporary Government payment to providers is a step in the right direction.
But let’s not pull the rug without finding a long-term solution. With
open dialogue, now is the time for a meeting of minds on how the sector can move forward.
Just last week, Lord Mayor of Dublin Tom Brabazon launched a campaign to find the city’s Covid Heroes. The likelihood is we all know at least one.
The pandemic has brought with it a groundswell of kindness and compassion. Let’s build on the “in it together vibe” and reclaim our sense of community.
Lockdown signalled a slower pace, a simpler life and an appreciation of the natural world around us.
Forget fast fashion, forget holidays abroad. Shop local, holiday at home.
As President Michael D Higgins put it, we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to find a better balance between economy, society and the environment.
In his acclaimed speech on The Late Late Show three weeks ago, he paid tribute to frontline staff and urged more equity when it comes to pay and working conditions. He also called for an evaluation as to how we deal with health, housing and childcare issues.
President Higgins predicted: “I see coming out of this not just an opportunity of responding or exiting from Covid, but actually a whole new shape.
“We should come out of the Covid-19 having completely rethought out the importance of caring. Build the compassion and the kindness into our relationships.”
We couldn’t agree more.
We should come out completely rethinking importance of caring
PRESIDENT HIGGINS ON RESHAPING THE COUNTRY