The Importance Of Appearing Earnest.

Style over substance often wins in Irish politics.

The old adage “perception is reality” holds much truth in the political world. For politicians, being seen to take action—even if those actions are futile or ill-conceived—can be vital to their strategy and relevance in Dáil politics. For politicians, the key to success often isn’t what they accomplish but how well they can convince the electorate they’re doing something. Even if it’s something that they can barely comprehend, have no idea what they’re talking about, or haven’t taken professional advice on, they will still need to bloviate until they’re green, white and gold in the face.

Take the aftermath of Storm Éowyn, for example. ESB Networks said that, as of this writing, over 100,000 premises remained without power as a multi-national effort was underway to restore power after damage caused by Storm Éowyn last week. The storm brought 183km/h record-breaking winds. A once-in-a-generation storm. It devastated the West Coast and vast swathes of the Midlands. Parts of the country a…