TWICE THE SIZE - DIT Update - Dublin Institute of Technology

PROSPECTS
Ireland takes a lead in seeking limited reform of EU institutions: the establishment of a European
Security Council; agreement as to a common border; the reduction of powers of the Commission
and the European Court of Justice; and the introduction of regulations restricting the freedom of
movement and in-migration.
As a result of China reneging on a series of social, political and economic agreements, the Euro
devalues against the dollar, trade barriers develop, and Ireland contemplates joining the sterling
currency mechanism.
Political policy centres around ‘grey power’ as Ireland ages.
Teenage anarchists proliferate in Irish society, subverting previous societal protocols and policies
through internet activism.
The IFSC faces meltdown as waves of hot money flow around the world’s capital markets, seeking
better returns, but moved in ignorance of the risk entailed.
Organised crime grows throughout the Gateway towns and cities, and criminal fraternities control
several, municipal authorities and chambers of commerce.
Different local authorities throughout Ireland seek different civic solutions with different
administrative frameworks and regulations, creating a new range of fracture lines.
Fortress communities are established around and within the Gateways as law and order is
threatened in inner urban areas.
Incomes and living conditions decline in rural Ireland, and health conditions deteriorate in the
most deprived areas.
Severe flooding is experiences in low-lying coastal regions.
Trade Unions strive to limit the power of the government and the market, and build economic
and social trust, but little progress is made and Irish industry moves inexorably into a state of
disarray.
Transnational corporations clash with the remnants of national government, and seek to exercise
influence at local level through corruption.
The media encourage fear of diversity.
There is a rollback of public sector reform, with the needs of security prevailing over those of
accountability, transparency and efficiency.
Information is increasingly sparse and unreliable, with communications networks spasmodic and
unsound.
There is a massive upsurge in the ‘culture industry’, with a rising demand for Irish art, crafts,
music, dance and literature.
Self-sufficient sustainable communities start to be established along the South and West coasts of
Ireland.
Growing risk aversion prevails, with a fear of the future, and a ‘back to roots’ intolerance,
manifesting itself in a gender backlash, intergenerational conflict and creeping racism.
Disenfranchised and disadvantaged voices grow louder, but there is no one to listen.
Some signs of a renaissance in social and ecological awareness are just beginning to show, with a
belief in personal responsibility and civic solidarity, and a tolerance towards cultural diversity.
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