There is that line in the song by The Who: "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss."
Well, the words apply to Micheál Martin who once served as taoiseach and will now serve in the office again for three years, this assuming there is no early general election for a new government that gets five years in office, barring unforeseen circumstances.
First of all best of luck to the new government as its fortunes, and those of the inhabitants of the Republic, are pretty much bound together.
The new government is an experienced one as most of its top members have served in Cabinet offices prior to the formation of this administration.
That is a good thing as there will be many challenges ahead, both on the domestic front and the international one. Ireland might be militarily neutral and situated on the geographical periphery of Europe, but that does not mean isolation from the wider world.
On the contrary, Ireland's voice has registered more loudly on the international stage in recent years and, in comparison to the voices of some far larger and more powerful nations, that voice has been one of reason. So loudly may it continue.
Of course we must take a particular interest in the relationship between Ireland and the United States. The return to the presidency of Donald Trump is raising many questions with regard to relations between the U.S. and the European Union.
Being in the EU this is a matter for Irish concern and interest in the multilateral context. Given the particular economic and business ties between the U.S. and Ireland this is also a matter for bilateral concern and interest. The days ahead will be revealing.
