'We just cannot ignore what is happening. Hubris is our biggest threat,' Denis O'Brien says radical action needed to save Irish economy

"The Digicel founder heavily criticised what he called a lack of urgency in the public sector, claiming, "we live in a two-speed Ireland" where the private sector gets things done while the public sector stalls. O'Brien also predicted that the next economic downturn was likely to happen soon, during a blistering 45-minute keynote speech at the Business Post's Economic Outlook Forum in Dublin."

"'We just cannot ignore what is happening,' he said. 'We now need a combination of political leadership, accountability, a radical sense of urgency and external expertise. Hubris is our biggest threat.' O'Brien called out Ireland's planning laws for 'severely holding the country back', claiming three-year-long delays and judicial reviews were now the norm. He highlighted housing as the single biggest impediment to society and the economy's future."

"O'Brien listed the wider infrastructural bottlenecks harming Ireland, claiming the Dáil could pass all necessary reforms over two weeks before the end of the year. He compared this to the Examinership legislation that was quickly passed in 1989 to save the Irish beef processing industry. 'The Taoiseach and the Tánaiste need to drive this agenda forcefully on a daily and weekly basis. This is not happening now.'"

Ireland faces a pivotal economic crossroads requiring radical political change to preserve the economy. Urgent, accountable political leadership combined with external expertise and a radical sense of urgency are necessary. A two-speed economy exists where the private sector delivers while the public sector stalls. Planning laws create severe delays, with three-year waits and judicial reviews becoming common and housing identified as the single largest impediment to future prosperity. Wider infrastructural bottlenecks persist but could be resolved quickly if decisive Dáil action is taken. Reintroducing public–private secondment schemes and leveraging private-sector leaders could remove blockages.

Read at Irish Independent