Simon Harris, the Taoiseach, has suggested the establishment of a Department of Infrastructure. The new department would spearhead major capital undertakings including those related to water, energy, and housing, amounting to billions. Harris rejects the notion that this proposal signifies dissatisfaction with the current government’s accomplishments.
In his perspective, Harris believes such a department could unify public administrative sectors, leading to on-time and budget-compliant project completion. He voiced this opinion on the sidelines of the Patrick MacGill Summer School in Glenties, stating the necessity for a synchronized approach towards executing crucial infrastructure projects.
Harris notes the significant surge in capital expenditure, a move developed to address the growing population’s needs and the challenges impacting competitiveness frequently highlighted by stakeholders.
He stresses that resolute and practical leadership is required for meeting people’s needs, ensuring effective politics, delivering good governance, and preventing the rise of populism.
“There is no room for wastage of the immense opportunities presently at our disposal. I staunchly advocate for inclusivity, being candid about our actions and our inactions,” stated Harris.
He regularly observed that housing project planners frequently cite issues associated with water and sewage access, amongst other infrastructure concerns, as potential hindrances to project completion before citing labour shortage problems.
He closed by asserting his intention to further refine his plan. Harris envisions a department dedicated purely to infrastructure, without distractions or conflicts arising from other issues.
Identifying his own political beliefs as pragmatic, Mr Harris elucidated that politicians are consistently challenged by “media entities and the political sphere” trying to categorise them within the confines of the political spectrum. “Where do you stand in the political spectrum? Clarify your standpoint? Express your stance at this moment and ideally tweet about it too. The world doesn’t operate this way,” he argued.
“Public policy calls for pragmatism and so does leadership,” he asserted, “Being pragmatic means being present and prepared for the current situation while also carefully planning for the succeeding one.” The issue is not about aligning with either the left or the right, rather it’s about the present actions undertaken to address the problems at hand. Pragmatic thinking involves understanding the timeline for implementing actions and the need to do so with mutual consent.
Politics is no longer about communication as “a subsidiary talent or a desirable trait”, or a notion that some view “nearly as an affront”, the Taoiseach stated during his discourse at the summer school. “More than ever, in the democracy that we’re a part of, it’s crucial to gain public consensus. The method to achieve this consensus is by laying out the facts, engaging in dialogue, and being transparent,” he argued.
Political leadership should offer “zeal, blueprint, optimism, resolve”, and this has become “even more crucial” than before, he addressed at the Donegal summer convention. “We seem to be continually on the cusp of a fresh global crisis, disaster, or dispute. There seem to be a multitude of visible and unseen challenges to our societal values and our democracy.
“The compendium of our concerns continues to increase yearly. This scenario is not exclusive to Ireland, it seems to be a general occurrence in the western world,” the Taoiseach pointed out.