{"id":359952,"date":"2026-02-28T00:38:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-28T00:38:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/359952\/"},"modified":"2026-02-28T00:38:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T00:38:08","slug":"michael-d-higgins-regrets-not-calling-out-disastrous-capitalism-more-the-irish-times","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/359952\/","title":{"rendered":"Michael D Higgins regrets not calling out \u2018disastrous capitalism\u2019 more \u2013 The Irish Times"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cDisastrous capitalism\u201d is \u201cpoisoning the world\u201d, according to former president Michael D Higgins<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Speaking at a Labour Party<\/a> event in Galway on Friday evening, Higgins severely criticised the current world order, saying the only regret of his political career was he did not \u201ccall out\u201d capitalism more.<\/p>\n

While not naming any individuals, the veteran politician made numerous references to the current direction of capitalism and of technology, saying \u201cthe biggest danger [facing the world] is technological determinism becoming the new imperialism of our time\u201d.<\/p>\n

In an apparent reference to tech-millionaires, Higgins said that \u201cnew forms of capital are not shy any more\u201d and that prominent members of the technological and political elite were flaunting their power and wealth \u201cin our face\u201d. <\/p>\n

On the emergence of artificial intelligence<\/a> (AI) and the future of work, he said that much of the world\u2019s wealth was being concentrated among \u201ca few hundred people\u201d while the \u201crest of the people have to wait to see if they will be knocked out of the job because of the advance of technology\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"MichaelMichael D Higgins said only radical ideas could address world issues. Photograph: Dara Mac D\u00f3naill <\/p>\n

He also said young people were being told that \u201cyou can keep consuming until you blow up\u201d.<\/p>\n

Higgins also recalled a trip to Gaza in 2006 and a conversation he had with an Israeli settler in the West Bank<\/a> who told him that \u201cthere is no Palestine<\/a>\u201d. <\/p>\n

Referencing the current situation in Gaza<\/a>, he said: \u201cWe have to bear in mind the depth of hatred that has been created between people whose origins are so much the same.\u201d <\/p>\n

Higgins also said it was time for \u201cradical ideas\u201d, saying \u201cit is not small adjustments that will tackle any of the issues\u201d that are currently facing the world.<\/p>\n

Without referencing any political leaders, Higgins said the world was facing a \u201cstruggle to save democracy\u201d and said \u201cit is not right for a political party to say that they are offering a gentler version of what the right are offering\u201d.<\/p>\n

On a lighter note, Higgins remembered how when he first joined the Labour Party in Galway in the 1960s there were only 12 members and they were \u201call seeking to have each other expelled from the party\u201d. <\/p>\n

Labour Party leader Ivana Bacik<\/a> paid tribute to Higgins as a politician with convictions, saying he \u201cstuck to his principles even when it cost him his seat\u201d \u2013 a reference to his defeat in the 1982 general election due in part to his opposition to the Eighth Amendment.<\/p>\n

Bacik also described Higgins\u2019s wife Sabina as \u201cthe greatest political influence in his life\u201d and said that after 14 years as president that \u201cthe whole country could be described at Higgins-ites\u201d.<\/p>\n

One of the biggest cheers of the night at the event at the Hardiman Hotel was for Helen Ogbu, the Labour Party\u2019s candidate in May\u2019s Galway West<\/a> byelection.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cDisastrous capitalism\u201d is \u201cpoisoning the world\u201d, according to former president Michael D Higgins. Speaking at a Labour Party…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":359953,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[289,9,10,18,13,14,1878,167920,3761,6,19,17,9170,9171,11,12,15,16,1874,5,72,7,8,1918],"class_list":{"0":"post-359952","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ireland","8":"tag-artificial-intelligence","9":"tag-breaking-news","10":"tag-breakingnews","11":"tag-eire","12":"tag-featured-news","13":"tag-featurednews","14":"tag-galway","15":"tag-galway-west-constituency","16":"tag-gaza-strip","17":"tag-headlines","18":"tag-ie","19":"tag-ireland","20":"tag-ivana-bacik","21":"tag-labour-party","22":"tag-latest-news","23":"tag-latestnews","24":"tag-main-news","25":"tag-mainnews","26":"tag-michael-d-higgins","27":"tag-news","28":"tag-palestine","29":"tag-top-stories","30":"tag-topstories","31":"tag-west-bank"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116145468468339079","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/359952","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=359952"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/359952\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/359953"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=359952"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=359952"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=359952"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}