Politics

John Walsh: Any Sinn Féin government must be mindful of the ‘trapped middle’ if the centre is to hold

Ireland’s challenges are dwarfed by upheavals around the world, but we do have to come up with a strategy to deal with our swiftly changing economic and political landscape – and gaining consensus will be key

The ‘trapped middle’ won’t have the opportunity to leave Ireland for the US, Britain, Australia, New Zealand for a new life. Picture: Fergal Phillips

According to some pockets of social media, Ireland is a corrupt, overpriced kip and young people are leaving in their droves because they can’t get the right employment opportunities and/or a place to live. Anybody who challenges this narrative is either an establishment stooge or a “centrist dad”.

Facts present a very different reality, however. Ireland has its problems; the housing and rental crisis is the most obvious case in point. But it is a ...