Protests outside Leinster House in 2011 against austerity-era cuts in provision of Special Needs Assistants. Photograph: Frank Miller
The furore and then the rapid U-turn this week on special needs assistants (SNAs) told us a couple of important things about this Government, but also about the deeper rules of Irish politics.
The first is that the Coalition has retained a robust capacity for self-inflicted political damage. Anyone around Government who thought a move that would see hundreds of schools lose special needs assistants would pass without controversy should probably be in another line of work.
The initial explanation was there had been a “review”. As if the parents already protesting outside some schools would think: “Oh, a review. Well, that’s fine then. I’m sure it’s for the best.
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