It is time to demand a change
December 2nd, 2010 by Tony Griffin
Leadership has been defined as the “process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task” Ask yourself, would you support our current leaders with confidence that they can accomplish what it is they say they can?
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Our collective spirit as a nation sure has taken a battering over the last few months. Bereft of any meaningful leadership Ireland, a country formed form the lives of men and women who fought for our freedom, has possibly never found itself at such a low ebb in confidence since the formation of our state.
I run my own business called Sports ai and recently in the office we made a pact not to read the newspapers or listen to the radio. Our aim was to shield ourselves form the lack of real journalism out there. The majority of our newspapers do not report the news any longer, that ended long ago, now they give their perspective on the facts, the majority do not report the facts. I have spent 11 years being interviewed by journalists, radio presenters and television show hosts and while there are some fantastic journalists out there, many, due to the demands of their editors are looking for sensationalism that sells, not the basic reporting of facts.
The main reason for our decision to insulate ourselves from the barrage of negativity surrounding us is to bolster our confidence as a business. For in business if you do not have confidence you have nothing. But as an Irishman, I also share the concern of many of you as to the state of our nation. Watching a show on TV last night where Irish radio personality Ray D’arcy was a guest the following struck me:
We are leaderless at the moment and have been for some time in Ireland. We are like a large ship, with no captains, no rudder, no sails to lead us towards prosperity. We are so bereft of leadership that the IMF are having to sail our ship for us. Last Saturday 150,000 people marched as a symbol of the people’s desire for a change in government. Why?, because they have failed us, and as Eisntein said- “The definition of stupidity is doing the same things you have always done and expecting different results”.
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In the interest of confidence we need a change of government. Not in January, not next year. Now. The people need to feel that they are in control in order for confidence to return and pride in ourselves as a nation to be restored. What has happened has happened, that is history, what we demand for ourselves as communities is our future. Our children’s future.
Tags: Fianna Fail, Ireland, Irish Government, Leadership, ray D#arcy, Republicanism, screaming at the sky, Sports ai, Tony Griffin
February 14th, 2011 at 9:37 pm
Your point about the media is a valid one and when we see how certain media groups side with certain political parties or agendas we should be very wary. People also bear a responsibility to educate themselves and enable themselves to distinguish between reporting of facts and the editorialising and polemics that unfortunately pass for journalism in Ireland 2011. Ther are undoubtedly some fine writers in Irish journalism but I’m not sure that there are many journalists in the true sense of the word left in the Irish media. however, much like our politicians, we get the journalists we deserve. I could rant on and on on this topic but I don’t want to contaminate a positive and enjoyable blog with that kind of thing!!!
keep up the work!