Oh dear! Phil Hogan resigned from his position as EU Trade Commissioner. Phil always wore the green jersey and, while his job made him answerable to the EU and not the Irish Government, he is still an Irish man of enormous stature with an understanding of Irish farming and the trade requirements for all countries in the EU. I’m sure the heated discussions at our kitchen table mirror a lot of farming familys’ kitchen table discussions this past week: “How could this happen?” “It had to happen!” “The media forced it!” “It is wrong. We need Phil Hogan in Europe.” “No, he didn’t follow the guidelines. He had to go!” On and on it went, with no consensus agreed.

I’m left wondering if we’ve reached a tipping point in Irish society. Has COVID-19 made us cruel and intolerant? Can we see the wood from the trees anymore?

Profoundly angry

After the news broke about the Oireachtas Golf Society dinner, I was profoundly angry, as I expressed last week. I surprised myself by remaining upset for a number of days. I couldn’t get the sequence of events out of my head. I couldn’t get the names of the high profile people that were there out of my head. I had lost respect for people whom I expected to continue to show us the way through this nightmare. The media fed off the rage of the public. The Taoiseach and Tánaiste responded and forced action. Some around our table believe it was to protect themselves and consequently well-orchestrated. We will see what happens. Others added up all the wrongs and felt Phil Hogan had no option but to resign. The WhatsApp groups were active. Opinions were raw, expressing frustration borne out of weeks of restriction. Mercy was not likely in this climate.

Loss and gain

It is clear the interpretation of COVID-19 rules are different in Brussels than in Ireland. Claire Daly MEP, speaking on RTE Prime Time, explained they have regular COVID-19 tests to allow them to proceed with their work and travel (for same) without quarantine restrictions. Obviously, the Taoiseach and Tánaiste were aware of this. Something doesn’t feel right about it all.

Attendance at the dinner was too much for the public. Phil Hogan read the mood of the people and the pressure from the Irish government and he decided to resign. I feel somewhat guilty that we, the people asked for this. Yet we the people, for the most part, have utterly changed our lives. So is it any wonder we were unforgiving?

The face of Irish politics has changed – and all because of a golf dinner

But was it right? I’m back to, “Oh dear, what have we done?” Well, it can’t be undone. I’ve no doubt that Phil Hogan will go on to do other things.

Meanwhile, someone else gets to step into the role as commissioner. That will vacate a position and another will step up and so on. One person’s loss is another’s gain. The face of Irish politics has changed – and all because of a golf dinner.

The hub returns

Meanwhile, Diarmuid’s day service in Cope Foundation returned last Thursday. He will now go in one day a week. Recently, Diarmuid was officially put on the kidney transplant list at Beaumont Hospital. That obviously makes him extremely vulnerable. He loves to go on the bus into the city, but we felt that this was a bit risky.

We have to constantly reduce his risk and ours to keep Diarmuid and us safe. I dropped him in for 9.30am. He was excited to be meeting a reduced number of his friends, but also apprehensive. I collected him at 3pm, the time appointed.

I watched him come out the door with the black mask on his face – a young man with an intellectual disability who doesn’t fully understand what has happened to our lives. I felt like crying.

Every family has vulnerable people. Is it any wonder the golf dinner has made us so mad?