It is a government that is “not really interested in listening” and is “failing to understand” the scale of the housing crisis, pushing ahead with policies that could increase poverty and inequality. So says Dr. Sean Healy, a clergyman, economist, and close ally of successive governments who has withdrawn from his public life.
Almost 14 years after co-founding the independent think tank Social Justice Ireland (SJI), he and Sir Brigid Reynolds will retire this weekend. She has served as secretary of the charity, of which he is a trustee, and has been an outspoken critic of governments failing the most marginalized people.
The 77-year-old has been “working flat out” and needs to “slow down”. He says it’s becoming increasingly difficult to get his ideas on social justice endorsed in the media and engaged with policymakers.
“The job has become even tougher in recent years, partly because the government is less interested in listening,” he says. “Some ministers may be interested, but generally in this government there has been a strong resistance to engaging with different voices. They tick the boxes but , without any meaningful engagement.
Even when large quantities of housing were being produced. [for the private market], SJI had argued that there were insufficient numbers of social houses and that this would come home to roost.And now it’s my roost
— Sean Healy
“When the government says, ‘We will consult you,’ it now means, ‘We will invite you to a meeting, and you can say whatever you want.’ We don’t engage. We give speeches that don’t mesh with what you’ve said that was previously written.”
“Governments would benefit tremendously from having some listening ability,” he says. His failure to listen led to the massive anti-water bill protests and housing crisis that began in 2014, which he says “we could have predicted months in advance.”
“Even when we were producing a lot of housing, [for the private market], SJI had argued that there were insufficient numbers of social houses and that this would come home to roost. And now it’s their roost. But instead of recognizing that there had been a substantive policy error, [the mistake] continues to be ignored. ”
That’s a far cry from the level of engagement in the early 2000s, he says. This was exemplified by his invitation by then leader Bertie Ahern’s Fianna Fail government to give the party’s Thoughts speech in Inchdney in August 2004. West Cork. “The party’s performance was poor. We lost twice in the by-elections. We suffered a crushing defeat in the local elections. I was asked to go, so I went.
“I said: ‘If you’re serious about tackling social exclusion, here’s what you need to do.’ One, as a benchmark, dedicate up to 30 percent of average industry profits to social welfare. The significant increase in core payments was achieved in three budgets: 14 euros, 17 euros and 20 euros. That was no small change.”
miserable poverty
The most dire form of poverty, known as persistent poverty, fell from 7 percent in 2005 to 4.2 percent by 2008. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, it currently stands at 5.3 per cent, with 18 per cent of people experiencing “forced poverty”. . In a “prosperous” and “wealthy” economy with full employment, Healy says this represents a failure of the social contract.
Forty years ago, ordinary people could expect a “floor” of basic protection, a roof over their heads and a job that would meet their basic living expenses.it’s gone
— Sean Healy
He does not believe this government has the same interest in tackling inequality or “eradicating” poverty as it did in 2004. He says the current policy direction, based largely on trickle-down economics, will make matters worse.
He argues that the global “non-listening” by governments and elites stems from the “ripping apart” of the social contract in the 1980s under Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan. “Forty years ago, ordinary people could expect a basic ‘tier’ of protection: a roof over their head and a job that would meet their basic living expenses,” he says. “It’s gone.”
A new social contract is essential if Ireland is to succeed. It must have five elements: economic prosperity, adequate social services, fair and just taxation, true participation and sustainability, he continued.
“All five have to happen at the same time,” he emphasizes. “But the government always says that the first thing to do is to make the economy prosper…everything else comes after that, that’s what the government says.” Such a “trickle-down” approach Doomed to failure, he continues. “When you do that, you always end up crashing. Until the issue of the social contract is taken seriously, we’re going to continue to live in poverty, homelessness, exclusion…in fact, it’s going to get much worse. .”
Asked where his lifelong passion for social justice comes from, he says it was “always there” in his parents’ home in Cork city. He was born in 1946 as the eldest of his eight children and had four brothers and his three sisters. Two brothers died.
His father worked precarious part-time jobs until about 1951, when he found steady work as a freight truck driver for CIÉ. He was a trade unionist and vice-chairman of his local union branch. Healy says the struggle for fairness and justice is “instilled” in his family. Near Blackrock’s home was the African Missionary Society, which he joined and worked with for 10 years in northern Nigeria.
“There was incredible poverty. It was a completely different world. I was there for two years and was a parish priest of 2,000 square miles and 47 churches.
universal basic income
“What really struck me was how everyone’s work is respected in society, even though most people don’t have jobs. Everyone has an important role to play. I realized that only one type of work is respected here and that is paid employment. What about caregivers and caregivers?” he wondered.
[ Co-founders of Social Justice Ireland to retire ]
[ Universal basic income would cost up to €50bn a year, ESRI study finds ]
“This was one of the issues that led me to the concept of a universal basic income (UBI). It’s doable, it’s doable, it’s achievable.”
If we are to understand the realities of groups like carers, they will have to be adequately funded.We have to find a way and things like basic income will happen
— Sean Healy
He was “furious” that the Welfare and Taxation Committee recommended against UBI earlier this year. He said the analysis on which the rejection was based was “fundamentally flawed” and contained errors. He believes that the Treasury, which provided secretariat support to the commission, was “ideologically” opposed to UBI from the beginning. “It was clear that public officials were against it, and they had an opportunity to stamp it out,” he says.
This commission was independent from the government, but has since been disbanded. A ministry spokeswoman said the agency had no role in its operations other than “providing support to support the secretariat’s operations.” The spokesperson added: “It would not be appropriate to respond to such comments.”
He has been advocating for a UBI since the 1980s and believes it will eventually be introduced. “If we are going to grasp the reality of groups like carers, they will need to be properly funded. We have to find a way and then Something like basic income will become a reality.”
[ FG and FF failed to make submissions to State commission on tax and welfare ]
The SJI was established in 2009 to break with the Irish Congress of Religions (Cori) following the shocking Ryan Report into child abuse by religious figures. Mr. Cori was the voice of the Catholic faith on social justice issues, but his credibility has been “shattered,” Mr. Healy said.
“We decided to create a completely independent organization.”
SJI currently has approximately 300 member organizations, including NGOs and university departments. The book provides solid social policy analysis and is perhaps best known among many media outlets for its authoritative annual post-budget analysis, written all night and published by 10am the next morning. . New chief executive John McGeady will take over on Monday.
“New social contract”
Asked whether despair or optimism prevails as the mood subsides, Healy replies, “I’m hopeful.” “Many good people are working very hard to change the current direction of policy in Ireland. We need a new social contract and that requires everyone sitting around the table talking. We need social dialogue.”
In response to his criticism, Doshu’s spokesperson Leo Varadkar wished Healy “the best” in his retirement.
“He has made an important and valuable contribution to public policy, which has made a difference. The Taoiseach has engaged with Father Healy on many occasions over the years, from correspondence to many face-to-face meetings. It was brought.
“The main proposal that Father Healy asked Taoism for was a move towards refundable tax credits. This was considered by the Taxation and Welfare Committee and recommended against it for good reasons.
“Although figures vary from year to year, the proportion of people experiencing consistent poverty and deprivation has fallen significantly over the past decade, and income inequality has narrowed. This is mainly due to the achievement of full employment, It’s through government policies such as raising the minimum wage above inflation, paying working families, increasing welfare and pensions, and reducing health and child care costs. This work continues.”