First – we should go back to interviewing for people who want to be teachers. And the first requirement is an ability to think and evaluate and a real vocation to the development of our young people. We need people who can encourage young people to critically evaluate and not accept the “status quo” unquestioningly?
Secondly – we should look at the school curriculum and introduce a Civics, Ethics, Community and Entrepreneurship module which encourages enterprise and initiative but also introduces the concepts of responsibility and ethical behaviour. There are lots of people who work hard without money being the major motivation. Look at people like Orla Hardiman, Michael O’Keeffe and Fintan O’Toole who are willing to take pay cuts. These people are responsible to the society within which they live and then you have the Tom Parlons and the RTE stars who have an inbuilt sense of their entitlements and their worth. I’d also stop separating children by religion in the education system.
Thirdly, if you are being paid to do a job you do it well. You shouldn’t need incentives. This is similar to the trite banality that is trotted out all the time “You must pay huge salaries to get the best”.
Did we get the best? Perhaps the solid hard worker would be the best – not the go-getting ambitious politicker who is really only ambitious for himself.
Fourthly, business people must be made to realise that the commitment is to the company, not to themselves. Boards have a responsibility to the company, not themselves and not the current shareholders.
Fifthly, stop the spin. Even the Church now needs PR people. What happened to the truth?
Sixthly, let’s have a new constitution. As a secular humanist, how could I swear an oath to that “supernatural being”. We also need to have the discussion on how we can get the best people into government and I don’t think it’s a renumeration issue. I’m not sure our one human/one vote is the best way in this media dominated age and rhetoric always wins over reason and honesty.
So what do ye think?