Speech of An Taoiseach, Simon Harris T.D., MacGill Summer School, Glenties, Friday 19 July 2024

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Professor Gormley-Heenan, Ladies and Gentlemen. 

I want to begin by paying tribute to Dr. Joe Mulholland for his extraordinary achievement in making this summer school the pre-eminent public forum to discuss crucial national and international issues over the past four decades.   

Thank you, Joe, for all you have done to create a place where people from all backgrounds and viewpoints can debate robustly, socialise amicably, and make positive contributions to public discourse.   I wish you the very best as you begin a new chapter, and I know MacGill is in very safe hands with your successor, Vincent McCarthy. 

Attendance at the MacGill Summer School is an important rite of passage for any Irish politician.   

I remember coming here in 2016, shortly after becoming Minister for Health, and I recall a few jokes being made about my own political health and what was in store for me.  I spoke then of the need for ‘energy, vision, hope and determination’ and also, crucially, ‘optimism’. 

I needed it then! 

Eight years later, back as Taoiseach, it seems to me these qualities are as essential as ever.  

I had already thought this year’s theme of ‘On the Brink’ was a particularly apt choice but one had only to pick up Monday’s Irish Times and see the headline ‘America looks into the abyss after attempted assassination of Trump’ to realise just how apposite it is to the times we are living in. 

We seem to be perpetually on the brink of some new global crisis, some new catastrophe or conflict.   

Visible and invisible threats to our society and democratic values appear to abound and the list of anxieties grows longer every year.   

However, going back to recent events in the US, the glimmer of hope represented by a more moderate and united initial response than we might have expected, tells us that the view from the brink does not always have to be the abyss. 

If the debates that have taken place in this summer school over the past 43 years have taught us anything it is that we are never too far from a crisis, but not are solutions ever too far out of reach. 

And let’s never forget the progress that is possible. Here is one, very important, measure. Life expectancy on this island in 1981 when MacGill started was 73 years of age at birth. Today that number is 83 and rising.  

The greatest challenges of the past four decades have been met with energy, vision, hope, determination, and also, crucially, with optimism.   

In these times, where we face multiple, overlapping challenges, a key quality I would add, and the one which defines my philosophy as Taoiseach, is pragmatism. 

Pragmatism means being equal to the moment before us, while preparing carefully for the next.  

Pragmatism is not defined by a label like ‘right’ or ‘left’ but the action taken in the moment to solve the problems in front of us. 

Pragmatism is knowing over what time scale actions need to be taken, and knowing you need to bring everyone with you as you act.  

Neither left nor right, but working well 

I don’t consider the labels of left and right particularly meaningful in a country and a European union where a political majority has converged on issues where we used to diverge in those directions.  

President Obama’s 2009 inaugural address, delivered as the global economic crisis worsened and millions found their futures imperilled still sticks with me. With that crisis canvas as his backdrop, it would have been easy to argue for a larger state, or a smaller one.  

Obama chose neither. Obama argued:  

“ The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified.” 

Whether. It. Works.  

This is the test my government, and the government I hope to lead after the coming election, will seek to pass for everyone in Ireland.  

Does the state deliver for you? Is your experience of Ireland in your youth, in your working life, in your life as a parent, in your community life, in your later years, getting better?  

We know that for many in our nation the answer today is a resounding yes. Fine Gael took office at a time of economic deficiency, we now govern in a time of economic abundance.  

We also know the answer for many is a heartfelt no. I hear the children, the parents, the workers, the communities, and our older citizens. I hear them every day as Taoiseach.  

I pledge to deliver for them, pragmatically.  

I pledge to pass the test of making their government work for them.  

It is why from the very start I have been working to break down the silos which hamper decision making and the delivery of solutions and services. Bringing together multiple agencies to move more quickly to tackle challenges arising from migration and chairing cross-Departmental meetings to unlock additional funding for  assessments of need for children with disabilities are two examples. 

When it comes to the concurrent challenges we face – war in Ukraine, migration, climate change – it seems to me that most people are less preoccupied with ideology and more concerned with effective crisis management and political pragmatism. 

Let’s take the need for climate action, the only way of saving our planet from the Shakespearean tragedy it faces.   

We are betraying the youngest in our country and the world – the next generation and the ones after it – if we fail to act now.   

But I believe we are also betraying present and future generations if we fail to persuade them that all hope is not lost, that we can still take the actions that are required and do them in time. 

The climate crisis need neither prompt denial nor the paralysis of a cynical fatalism. 

Green Island 

Not only that but it should make us ambitious for what we can do together. I believe that by working together we can actually set an aspiration as a nation to become a Green Island – to realise our unique potential for energy independence, food security and biodiversity. 

With pragmatism, honesty and decisiveness, we can show the interests of those overwhelmed by the impacts of climate change and those overwhelmed by the climate action we need to take are not so different, and that we can demonstrate progress while serving both. 

The -7% reduction in our greenhouse gas emissions from 2022  2023 and +5.4% growth in modified gross national income from 2022 to 2023 illustrates that economic growth and emissions reductions can go hand in hand.  

It’s the second annual reduction in our emissions, with substantial reductions in the residential and agricultural sectors.  

It’s the lowest level of emissions in three decades and below the 1990 baseline.  

How did this reduction happen? Political choices made by this government and governments some years ago led to more renewables, more interconnectors, and less fossil fuel use. 

I want to be clear: I know we have a long way to go. We are not yet meeting the challenge of climate action, and just climate action.  

The important word in that last sentence is yet. We can get there. 

All of us, together, need to accept the urgency of climate action and the need for collaborative solutions.  But our global community also needs to offer a vision of hope.     

We need to stop presenting climate action as an insurmountable challenge and follow the science towards solutions, and away from despair.  

We need to infuse the way we talk about climate action with a new energy, bringing communities with us, instead of pitting different groups against each other.   

We need to foster better dialogue and understanding between communities as we find innovative solutions – perhaps even literal new energies – so that humanity thrives in harmony with the planet. 

We need also to listen to our communities, who more often than not have solutions of their own to bring to the table. We now have mechanisms for grassroots participation in policy development. We will use them.  

The Irish people are quick to adapt to change when given the opportunity. 

1. Agriculture 

Our farmers are already doing it. The 4.6% reduction in agricultural emissions last year proves it.  

As an example of hope, a dairy farm known as ‘Farm Zero C’ outside Bandon, Co. Cork, is on a pathway to achieving net-zero emissions by 2027 using a trio of techniques developed here in Ireland.  

This is a collaboration between four West Cork co-ops and an academic team led by UCD. I was pleased to provide funding for the project in my former role as Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. We need to see more projects like this which demonstrate the potential for farming to have a productive future while meeting the climate challenge. 

Inventing a fairer future. This is pragmatism in action.  

1. Small business 

I know small businesses – the butcher, the café or the restaurant – are kept busy just trying to keep the doors open so we need to make it easier for them to play their part. 

We recently doubled the Energy Efficiency Grant (EEG) to €10,000 and a reduction in the business contribution rate from 50% to 25%.  

This will help small businesses invest in technologies to reduce their energy costs in the long run. We need to boost uptake and we will do more to raise awareness and eliminate red tape to put Irish business at the forefront of combatting climate change while making their businesses more viable for the long term. 

Better business through renewable technologies. This is pragmatism in action.  

1. Energy efficient homes 

Every day in Ireland, 130 households are investing in energy upgrades. That’s up around three-quarters on 2022 – but I know we can do much better. Most families don’t have a spare €20,000 or €30,000 lying around.  

In April we launched a new low-cost Home Energy Upgrade Loan Scheme – the first of its kind for both Ireland and the European Investment Bank (EIB) Group. It means homeowners can borrow from €5,000 to €75,000 at significantly lower interest rates to make their homes warmer and cheaper to run. We will monitor uptake closely to ensure an uplift in retrofits materialises.  

Warmer homes that help homeowners and the environment. This is pragmatism in action.  

1. Public transport and EVs 

We also need to do more to ensure people have choice in how they get around. I know that for many people, they will always need to use a car. But in our urban centres, we need to provide more choice to people – be that a bus, a bike, a scooter or walking. 

I want to develop ‘Shared Mobility Hubs’ in each local authority area, with electric vehicle charging points, car-sharing opportunities and electric bikes. These mobility hubs would be located close to other public travel hubs such as train or bus stations.  

Following a public consultation earlier this year, we will shortly publish a new National Policy Statement setting out how we will develop these hubs.  

After a very positive 2023, I’m concerned about the recent drop-off in EV sales so far in 2024. This is by no means an Irish phenomenon, with EV sales worldwide suffering.  

We need a nationwide charging network to help give confidence to people. We don’t have that now and the State needs to take a lead. We have increased the number of publicly available charging points by 40% in the last 18 months – from 1,700 at the start of 2023 to 2,400 now. That’s a big increase but it’s not near enough.  

This is something I want to prioritise in the years ahead, bringing together relevant government departments, state agencies and commercial actors. 

Simple steps forward to an electric and decarbonised future. This is pragmatism in action.  

Industrial revolution 

The 2020s are a big decade for revolutionary technological changes. We must all be ready for them.  

By the end of this decade, we have to discover what the exact relationship between energy generation, computing power, our people, and National Progress. 

We know what we need to do in energy generation, which is to move away from fossil fuels to renewables of all kinds, from offshore and onshore wind to solar and hydro power. We know we need battery storage underpinned by a modern grid.  

We are less sure about the sheer computing power we will need to make our digital future a reality. I have not seen a single estimate that we will need less than we have today, and today’s AI revolution promises to be more compute-hungry than any previous technology. The promise of quantum computing is still some way off, but I am encouraged by the progress I see happening here in Ireland.  

We also need to ensure businesses have the know-how and skills to take advantage of the changes that are coming, from progress in batteries and renewables to biopharma to AI.  

The first industrial revolution left many workers, businesses, and indeed entire cities behind.  I pledge to you Ireland’s workers and businesses will not be left behind by this revolution.  

I see the anxiety technological changes can bring to our workers. I want to use the powers of this office and the intellectual resources we have throughout the country to ensure we remain at the forefront of changes in energy generation, idea generation, and computing power.  

Infrastructure  

I want our state to improve on its delivery of small, medium, and large-scale projects. You know all about the large capital projects that go over budget and over time. You probably don’t hear about all the projects that get done on time and under budget, and we have lots of those.  

Our country is characterised by infrastructural deficits in energy generation—onshore and offshore—in health and education and transport and, of course, housing.  

We use modern infrastructure to combat climate change, to house migrants, to help lower the cost of living for the average person, and to provide for them when they are sick.  

You name the area, we probably need to build something to help fix it. Right now, the work of planning, preparing, procuring, producing and promoting capital spending happens all over government. Roads are done by the Department of Transport, houses by the Department of Housing, hospitals by the Department of Health and the HSE, schools by the Department of Education.  

You get the idea. 

I believe we need to consider all of this capital spending being done in one, new Department of Infrastructure.  

I know what it’s like to set up a new Department. I know the energy, impetus and focus it can bring to a sector. 

Consider the problems of 2025. They are problems of climate change, energy, water, housing, healthcare, education, transport, and more. All of them can be solved by a dedicated Department whose role it is to prosecute the delivery of these projects, large and small, for our state.  

The good work of the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery, and Reform shows me this change is both necessary and doable.  This will be a key manifesto pledge for Fine Gael on which we will seek a mandate at the next election. 

Led by a cabinet minister, staffed by experts with long term goals and resourcing that is stable, thanks to the prudent work of my colleagues in government, a Department of Infrastructure could deliver the Ireland of 2040 and 2050 in a joined-up way. For example, I hear from businesses how water projects impact road and rail projects, which impact housing delivery, and so on. Let’s get them fixed together.  

Outside consultants’ expertise is always valued, of course, but allied to internal expertise in project design, management, and delivery, we will see a step change in output.   

A Department of Infrastructure could be a pragmatic step toward a new Ireland.  

We have excellent models around the world to learn from—Australia’s Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications, Canada’s Ministry of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management in the Netherlands, and indeed Northern Ireland’s Department for Infrastructure.  

There is a need to unify the provision of infrastructure in this country I believe this must be a priority for the next Government. 

If we are going to properly manage the next stage of Ireland’s development and deliver for our people, we must provide pragmatic and decisive leadership.   

Not only must we provide it, I believe we will not be forgiven if we do not provide it.   

I believe in bringing people with us, by speaking truthfully about what we are doing and why, and communicating more effectively about our greatest challenges. 

I believe that by building trust we can inspire collective action and transform our world. 

When the first MacGill summer school met in Glenties in 1981 the gathering had no idea how Ireland and the world would be transformed in just a handful of years.  Walls fell, and some ancient prejudices crumbled.   Our economy rose, collapsed, and soared again.   

We repealed historic restrictions and made some new promises to our people.  In 1981 we were on the brink, but also on the brink of some momentous and positive changes. 

We have to take the next best steps in our evolution as a country. We must, literally, empower ourselves for a climate transition. We must prepare for a more fractious world. We must ensure our people can thrive in the coming technological revolution. We must use our considerable resources prudently. Most importantly, we must build. 

It is the pragmatic thing to do.   

Thank you.