New national development plan will test the Irish political system

If only Ireland were a command economy, like China or North Korea, plans like the one outlined by Simon Coveney on Thursday would be all too easy. Local concerns would be sidelined, while the government's intentions are implemented to the letter.

Of course, the luxuries of authoritarian regimes are not open to a liberal democracy in western Europe, particularly one with a political system that is hyper-sensitive to constituency concerns and the parish pump.

And now we have a Government in an extreme minority position in parliament, which means it has to bend to the will of the Opposition to get anything of substance done.

Coveney’s intentions with his national planning framework are earnest and honest, and he is passionate and well-informed on his subject.

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Following a consultation process, he intends to put the final plan to the Dáil later this year in order to ensure future governments – ie those led by Fianna Fáil – will adhere to the strategy.

Of course, this will necessitate plenty of horse-trading with an Opposition that will be in no mood to make life easy for a potential future leader of Fine Gael.

Coveney chalked up a significant win late last year on his rental strategy when he faced down Fianna Fáil demands for rents to be frozen at 2 per cent per year rather than 4 per cent.

Fianna Fáil has not forgotten, and may not be as prepared to yield again.

Common ground

There is scope for common ground, however. Fianna Fáil’s Barry Cowen said he agrees with the concept of developing regional cities as counterweights to Dublin, but added that “there are areas of the country that do not have a city that are also in need of investment”.

Aside from the Opposition, Kevin “Boxer” Moran of the Independent Alliance is already advocating his home town of Athlone as a potential new city in the midlands.

More of the same can be expected as Coveney embarks on his consultation roadshow as towns all over the country – and their TDs – ask what is in this plan for them.

Then there are contradictions within Government. The development of the M20 motorway between Cork and Limerick is often pitched as a crucial piece of infrastructure that could drive the development of both cities.

Government sources, however, indicate that its €1 billion price tag means it is unlikely to be built in the near future.

With so many competing interests at play, Coveney’s final strategy could be a beast of a very different stripe than what he intends.

Perhaps more so than other contentious issues around water charges or rent, how the political system handles the planning framework will be a real test of its maturity and ability to learn lessons from the past.