IRELAND
One in Four
The Taoiseach has not recognised that for many who stood by the Republic, it was necessary to clash with the Catholic Church, writes Jaime Hyland.
The Taoiseach's opinion article in last Friday's Irish Times is worrying.
He seems to have entirely misread the demands of those who have called for an end to the special relationship between the church and the State. He defends both institutions against accusations that no one is making, while ignoring completely the seriousness of what has happened in Ireland over the past couple of weeks, and its implications for his representative role as Taoiseach.
He is adamant that both he personally and the Government have worked hard on child abuse, but nobody seems to be arguing with him on that.
Indeed, he and his Government have been almost universally commended on finally starting a process of investigation that may lead to the uncovering of the greatest child-protection scandal in the history of the State.