The State of the Nation, 31/05/2025

For the week that’s in it. What do Israeli war bonds, botched children’s surgeries and assisted dying legislation all have in common?
The answer is of course, absolutely nothing.

Yet unfortunately in modern Ireland all three are inextricably linked and symptomatic of a great sickness that pervades every corner of Irish society. Of course that sickness can only be one thing, the pervasive culture of neoliberalism and corporatism in Ireland.

Our so-called Republic is in the hands of mad men.

As far as I can tell only one question can cut the wheat from the chaff:

What comes first the Nation or the Man?

Although I am certainly a Nationalist and an Irish Republican, for me the answer to such a question will always be that the 'Man' comes first over the 'Nation' - for there can be no 'Nation' or any form of genuine 'Nationalism' unless the needs of the most vulnerable in society are put first and foremost; the needs of the rich, the landlord and big business can only ever be an afterthought. The following paragraphs should highlight as to how the needs of the most vulnerable are neglected and abused by those in power in Ireland, as well as by the very entities who purport to protect them.

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This week Mary Lou McDonald addressed the Taoiseach in the Dáil,

"Most Irish people don’t realise that the Irish Central Bank is involved with the sale of Israeli war bonds and will be horrified to learn that the Irish Central Bank provides Israel with the permission or approval it needs to sell these war bonds throughout the European Union. No other European Central Bank provides this permission. It is given here, in Ireland, on the watch of your government. These bonds, to be clear, are used by Israel to raise the money to pay for the missiles, the tanks, the guns, the drones, the bombs it uses every day to slaughter tens of thousands of men, women, and children in Gaza. To lay hospitals, homes, schools, universities to rubble. To terrorise the refugee population of Gaza. Israel doesn’t hide the purpose of these bonds. They emphasise, quote, ‘the crucial role of Israel bonds during this time of conflict and war.’  Israel openly invites people to invest in genocide."

It is under this premise that Sinn Fein attempted to put a stop to the trading of Israeli war bonds via the Irish Central Bank, only for the motion to be defeated. It is a total disgrace that petty politics would ever take precedence over such an important issue. This is no time for school yard politics for this is a life or death issue. Yes, on the one hand the great Micheál Martin will openly state, "let's call a spade a spade and recognise that Israel is committing genocide on the people of Palestine", yet on the other he will openly facilitate the financial means upon which they do so. Whoever supports this man and his ilk is an anathema to me, for they do not represent the Irish Nation or the needs of her people but only the needs and wants of big business, central banks and the churn of capital. Evidently, economics and appeasing foreign imperialists will always take precedence over what is fundamentally right and wrong, ethical and unethical, moral and immoral. The attitude is one of contempt for human life whether it be at home here in Ireland or overseas, for make no mistake those who opposed this motion have nailed their colors to the mast and history will judge them harshly. They will reap what they so, and even their graves will not be safe, so best they be cremated and buried at sea.

Unfortunately neoliberal fiscal policies in Ireland do not just impact the lives of innocent people overseas, but also the lives of Irish Nationals residing here at home. Worse still, an inherent feature of the neoliberal capitalist state is that the policies thereof will always harm the most vulnerable and innocent in society, in short the very people who should be protected and nurtured as any genuine republic should do so by directing her resources accordingly.

Enter Children’s Health Ireland (CHI), which has been in charge of children’s health services in Ireland since 2019. It has been hit with scandal over the last year or so in regards to the use of unauthorised implants in children’s spinal surgeries, as well as unnecessary hip surgeries being carried out on children. An independent review into the matter revealed that from 2021 to 2023, 70 percent of all those operated on did not meet the threshold for surgery. In light of this the 2,259 children who had hip surgeries from 2010 onwards will now be subject to clinical reviews. Furthermore, the review found that non-medical grade springs were used as implants during many of the botched surgeries, with such springs being prone to degradation causing even further harm. To understand how something like this could happen one must appreciate that there is no publicly funded national health service in the Republic of Ireland, rather the health system here consists of a network of private entities and bodies that can only perform their respective functions while profiteering and meeting financial targets. In this way, the needs of the patient, and moreover what is best for the patient will always come secondary to the primary needs of the Board. Indeed, a CHI consultant has been outed for referring child patients to CHI clinics for unwarranted surgeries, while in the process being paid many thousands.

In light of this recent scandal with CHI, it is not irrational to suggest that the health system in Ireland will be prone to further malpractice and scandal in the future. In 2024 Bill 50 was ratified in the Dail, with said Bill to establish a legal framework for assisted dying in Ireland. At the time of writing it is currently being moved to the second stage whereby the implementation and practice of euthanasia will be addressed, and no doubt pushed through without any careful scrutiny as to the potential far-reaching ramifications thereof. While on paper the practice is no doubt designed to alleviate the long term suffering of patients receiving end-of-life palliative care, and most importantly to be done so at the patients request and via a robust process. However, in light of what we know about how the health care system in Ireland operates, I cannot help but shudder at the potential for abuse in assisted dying practices. It would not be a stretch to imagine a time whereby the criteria for assisted dying is lessened to include those who are merely disabled while being considered as not contributing enough to society, nor would it be a stretch to imagine a time where euthanasia is used primarily to alleviate the financial burden of medical treatment, and to free up more beds in a system that is simply not fit to cope with current demand from an ever growing population.

To conclude, it is clear to me that a complete overhaul of the system in Ireland is required to create a genuine Irish Republic that is fit for purpose and worthy of all those who fought and died for it. Finally, to believe in the benevolence and in the helping hand and bosom of the state in its current form would clearly be a grave mistake.

~ Gamhain MacCionaoth 

Na Cealla Beaga 

Mi Bealtaine, 2025