Sunday Independent Stupid Statement of the Week

John Drennan’s description of Aer Lingus is certainly worthy of a place in the top three.

And while Mary Coughlan must go, it is difficult to see how replacing her with some beardless youth will allow us to take on vicious interest groups such as the Dublin Airport Authority and Aer Lingus.

In second place, Marc Coleman’s description of last December’s budget will doubtless shock many public sector workers

That Budget hurt like hell and many are hopping mad over it. But it hurt across the board and the man who implemented it, who himself is battling with cancer, is seen as doing right by the country, and as turning things around.

In first place, Brendan O’Connor, who reminds us that the political system in the Republic is flawed. We can all agree there. His answer though is simply baffling in the midst of a crisis created by the most fundamental flaws in the neo-liberal version of capitalism.

Fortunately for our politicians, there is a whole other culture in this country that operates very differently to politics and that is primed and geared to deal with the rapidly changing world we live in. It is a culture that moves fast, that thinks laterally, that takes risks, that has imagination and bravery and vision. It deals with catastrophe — and the prospect of becoming obsolete — all the time. In fact, in exactly the same way that the culture of politics seems specifically designed not to deal with the reality we face right now, the culture of enterprise in this country is designed to suit current reality to a tee.

Not part of stupid statement of the week, but worth reading Willie O’Dea’s column, where he reflects on his resignation.