On Monday Prof Robert Putnam, the acclaimed social analyst who has charted the collapse of civic and community values in the US, addresses the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party. In an interview with Carl O'Brien, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern says we need to prevent similar social breakdown
So, where did it all begin to go wrong? Materialism, individualism, the fall in Mass attendance, two-career families, commuting, soulless suburbia. They've all been blamed on the gnawing feeling that, despite our economic success, our quality of life is declining.
It's an observation shared by governments, who are mindful that the key to retaining political power isn't all just about the economy, stupid. Citizens also want a society which is compassionate, caring and supportive. There is a pervasive fear, however, that Irish society is going the way of the US, where life is increasingly characterised by urbanisation, individualism and disconnection.
Maybe, just maybe, Margaret Thatcher's famous dictum is finally beginning to come true: that there is no such thing as society, or community. Just individuals.
It's against this backdrop that the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has invited Prof Robert Putnam, who has charted the collapse of civic and community values in the US, to the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party meeting.
In his book Bowling Alone: the Collapse and Revival of American Community, he uses the decline of tenpin bowling leagues in the US over the last 25 years as a metaphor for the increase in social isolation. Membership of teams and leagues has plunged. These days, when many people go bowling, they do so alone.
Anecdotal evidence suggests something similar may be happening here.
Voluntary groups say many people are too busy to volunteer any more. Sports clubs are finding it increasingly difficult to find coaches and some community groups find it hard to get numbers to even reach a quorum.
Putnam's message is a simple, but chilling one: unless new forms of social engagement are developed, our stock of "social capital" - the concept that circles of friends and civic engagement have an inherent value - will decline and the future for society will be bleak.
"His research is hugely relevant to what's going on here," says the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, seated in the backroom of his constituency clinic at St Luke's in Drumcondra. "People say the US is a different place, but that isn't the issue. It's very relevant. That's why we have him [ Putnam] here. It's that kind of connectedness that we need in our communities in the modern age." Putnam, who Ahern describes as an "extraordinary genius", has become a social guru of sorts for prime ministers and presidents trying to address the lack of civic engagement in society.
"I've met him many times and he is a fascinating guy . . . he was a big adviser of Clinton, who has huge, huge regard for him; he continued on that road with Bush and Blair as well. I'm glad to say we were in talking to him before either of them, since the early 1990s."
PUTNAM'S VISIT DOVETAILS conveniently with the re-positioned Fianna Fáil, which has embarked on a caring and sharing offensive since the local election results sounded alarm bells for the party more than a year ago.
The effects of a decline in social capital, and increasing isolation, are clear in many ways, Ahern says, and are visible in his own constituency.
"I've seen the effects [ of a lack of social capital] in parts of my own area, with people getting isolated, and people haven't got people close to them, and they haven't got people to turn to. It's drugs, excessive drinking, it's loneliness, it's isolation, it's suicide. These are the downsides of it." Ahern, however, is relentlessly optimistic, and keeps referencing the positive contributions being made in the community, by groups such as the GAA, credit unions, Tidy Towns committees and fundraising responses to the tsunami, which need to be built upon. The Special Olympics, Ahern says, was an example of the enthusiasm of people to get involved.
"If you take the view that it's all terrible, then it will be. And Bowling Alone will be totally relevant. My theory is that we should understand what happened to previous generations, what was good about that, and now understand that, like a lot of things in life, it just won't happen automatically. We need to sit down and analyse why has it gone wrong and what can we do about it."
Ahern points to the recent establishment of a task force on active citizenship, which will explore new ways to encourage people to get involved, identify barriers to participation and help identify what kind of State resources may be necessary.
He also says initiatives such as Comhairle na Tuaithe, a group which involves people with an interest in the sustainable development of the countryside, as well as grants for playgrounds and inner city areas are all part of Government attempts to address these broad issues.
However, there is no escaping the role the State may have played in the decline of social capital. Government policies such as tax individualisation, lack of affordable childcare and failure to adequately tackle soaring house prices, are contributing to isolation and lack of participation. Maybe this modern life can't be reconciled with involvement in the community? "Yes, but our fathers were working far longer hours," counters Ahern.
"Maybe the job was nearer, but the five-and-half-day week was common. Maybe things are more competitive and intensive, and maybe there's the rat race, and there's a feeling of exhaustion, or whatever . . . but that's even more a case for active citizenship. Everyone who enters their estate, apartment block or rural community wants to see the place looking well.
"No matter how rich or poor, big or small, isolated or near a city a place is, the categories of the problem you face are similar: what facilities are there for small kids? Is there pre-school, after-school? Is there a playground? Is there a GAA club or soccer club, or whatever? Is there community games? For the old, is there a day centre? Is there a Christmas party? All of the things are the same . . . No matter who you are, you've an interest in that. If it's not in your interest, you're a funny person, because you're outside all of these things."
Ahern also accepts that construction firms, and the State, must do more in the development of new communities in particular.
"There's a very simple way of doing this: if the developer doesn't provide facilities, he doesn't get planning. Developers will do this if they're nailed on it. The State has an obligation in that it has to be very early in with schools, they have a crucial part to play in the building of an estate, and so has the health sector . . ."
THE EFFECTIVE ABANDONMENT of some deprived areas of cities and towns by political parties and State agencies also has political implications. The rise of Sinn Féin is, arguably, a symptom of this.
"They [ Sinn Féin] are working with their limited numbers, trying to enthuse the section of the community who feel they've been alienated by everyone else. That's what they're doing. My advice to my own party and to all parties is that the last thing they should do is pull out of there."
Ahern, typically, ends on an upbeat note when asked to describe where we're at as a society, where we're going, and whether we will ultimately follow the path of the US.
"I think we're at a crossroads, but it is one we can confidently face. We're wealthier, we've more resources. It's a matter of not losing what we've always had. That sense of identity. It's about building on that. We should remember there are huge, huge numbers out there doing it . . . the trick is to reach out to the people who aren't . . . If everyone gives a little, it can fundamentally change society. This isn't a political question, it's about making society better."