Irish Examiner view: Let us begin 2023 with a sense of hope
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There is much happening in 2023 to look forward to, to commemorate, or both. And it has already begun, with many celebrating Ireland’s formal integration into the European Community on January 1, 1973, half a century ago yesterday.
The Republic is unrecognisable from the nation it was all those years ago and most citizens remain enthusiastically communautaire, despite rejecting the Nice Treaty in 2001 and the Lisbon Treaty in 2008.
The economic benefits have been great, although it is worth remembering that we are now a net contributor to the EU budget and that more of our trade is currently carried out with North America and the UK than the continent.
Whether that balance will change in the years ahead will be an interesting question but for now we must remember that our ability to fly the blue flag with the gold stars brings with it responsibilities as well as benefits. With the war in Ukraine and the energy crisis, our willingness to shoulder those may be put further to the test in 2023.
Two other political dates which resonate for different reasons. Seventy five years ago this summer on June 26, Russia, under Josef Stalin, blocked all road, rail, and water access to the Allied-controlled areas of Berlin, prompting a daring response by the West to supply a city of 2.5m people by air.
Over 11 months, 270,000 flights brought in 2.5m tons of supplies. At one stage during the airlift, a plane was landing at Tempelhof Airport every 45 seconds.
The Russians abandoned their stranglehold but the foundations of the Iron Curtain prophesied by Winston Churchill were in place and would dominate Europe for 50 years, with Vladimir Putin’s
illegal war now sending daily reminders of the way things were and could be again.
February 24 will mark the first anniversary of his invasion into neighbouring Ukraine.
April 10 will see the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, one of those examples where determined diplomacy can make a difference.
Much more of the same will be required to achieve a breakthrough in the current political logjam in the North. Whether there is yet an alignment of sufficient people of goodwill to resolve the impasse is one of this year’s known unknowns.
Culturally, we will gain a good idea of how Martin McDonagh’s black comedy about Ireland’s western isles, , will fare in the awards season when it competes in eight categories in the Golden Globes next week. Nominations for the Oscars open two weeks later and the biggest night in the movies will take place on March 12.
The beginning of February will see the US Federal Reserve make its first interest-rate decision of 2023, having applied increases seven times in 12 months. The next day, the Bank of England (nine increases in the past year) makes a similar choice. What they decide will certainly affect the European Central Bank, and rates in the eurozone.
The EU’s attempts to put some manners on the big tech companies will be put to the test when its Digital Markets Act goes live on May 2, backed by competition threats, stringent regulations on data privacy, and proposed rules for burgeoning areas such as artificial intelligence.
Two of the world’s major nations celebrate anniversaries of their founding this year, both of them born out of world wars, and both very different. On May 14, Israel was founded 75 years ago and on October 29 Turkey will celebrate its centenary after superseding the Ottoman empire.
November will mark a melancholy date. The 22nd is the 60th anniversary of the assassination of US president John F Kennedy in Dallas, one of those watershed “I remember where I was” moments that seemed to snuff out optimism in the modern world.
The end of November will also see the introduction of the EU’s €7 visa-waiver form which will be required to enter its passport-free zone. The European travel information and authorisation system applies to non-EU citizens from 60 countries.
March 23 marks the 175th anniversary of the first flying of the Tricolour by Thomas F Meagher in Waterford on March 7, 1848, and we can expect to see many of those in the major sporting tournament of the year when in-form Ireland will take on formidable international contemporaries in the Rugby World Cup in France between September 8 and October 28.
March 14 to 17 also sees the annual Irish exodus to Cheltenham, where most eyes will be on the Champions Hurdle to see if the much-lauded Constitution Hill can join the parade of all-time greats with an opening-day victory.
The Irish women’s soccer team will make history with its World Cup debut in July, with hosts Australia, Canada, and Nigeria the group opponents. Supporting the girls in green will be the sporting event of the summer, alongside the GAA showpieces.
In a year where there is much to take seriously, our collective sanity can depend on such diversions. Let us anticipate 2023 with a sense of hope.