Can a new taoiseach deliver real change?

Only a matter of days in office, Emmanuel Macron has already chalked up one marvellous achievement – his victory stemmed the tide of isolationism that began with the Brexit vote, gave us president Trump, and to some extent scuppered the reforms put forward by Matteo Renzi in Italy.

If nothing more, Macron gives us hope. Hope that the politics of populism and hatred don’t always win out. The hope that we can elect ...