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So, the Irish economy is going to complete shit (as is the world economy, it would seem) – for now, at least.

This, then, will be the real test of Patrick “Bertie” Ahern’s time in office as Taoiseach. In the early- to mid-nineteen nineties, Ireland was on its way to economic improvement. By luck – or good election campaigning, whichever – Ahern and his cohorts were elected by the people to government.

What they inherited was the most prosperous Ireland that has existed since Independence, and at times the greatest budget surpluses this country has ever seen.

So, what lasting achievements will Ireland have to show for itself for all this wealth it accumulated over the past ten to fifteen years? What long-term investments have the Ahern governments made to make this country last through the difficult times ahead?

What of Ireland’s infrastructure? Do we have a European-standard rail network? An integrated public transport and light-rail system in our cities? A functioning metro system anywhere? Are our roads able to bear the volumes of traffic that have been generated by increased personal wealth and borrowings? Have we even seen a change from the push-pull factors from the west of Ireland to the east, which were seen to some of the worst degrees in the bad old 1980s? Does what was touted, more than ten years ago, as “the knowledge economy” have anything even approaching averages of broadband availability and take-up? Is Ireland’s health system among the best in the world? Is there even a “Bertie Bowl” to speak of?

Only time will tell. In the meantime, batten down the hatches, buckle up and – of course – tighten your belts.

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