A Nation For All

This book is about history, politics and ideas**x2014;and, above all, about Ireland's future. It weaves together the story of Ireland over the past century with the author's own family history to argue that the time has come to rethink how we organise our society, our economy and our working lives. More than a century after the partition of Ireland, the book examines the inequality and discrimination that lay at the heart of the two new states and explores how that legacy continues to shape Irish life today**x2014;socially, economically and politically. That legacy has been resisted and countered by movements great and small**x2014;from struggles over the national question and the cause of labour, to the perseverance of activists who have helped bring about a renaissance in the Irish language. A Nation For All argues that Ireland can become an example for people everywhere who believe in strong, democratic nation states committed to fairness, equality and the steady improvement of citizens' lives. In doing so, it offers a robust defence of the nation state and of sovereignty, and makes the case for the state reasserting its role in the provision of public services, in the redistribution of wealth and as an active participant in the economy. At its core, this is a book about aspiration: an argument for reclaiming Ireland as a shared national project, grounded in solidarity, democracy and sovereignty, and directed towards building a fairer future for all.