THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary- December 1, 2017- Topic 2

Irish recovery: when Leo Varadkar’s government almost collapsed

The resignation of Frances Fitzgerald, Ireland’s Deputy Prime Minister, has averted the risk of an early election and saved the minority government of the Fine Gael party. Ms. Fitzgerald becomes the second political casualty in less than a year of a longstanding scandal, after former premier and highly regarded centre-right leader, Enda Kenny, was forced to step down as Prime Minister in May. 

The specific allegation against Ms. Fitzgerald was that as the Minister for Justice in the previous administration she did not take action despite having knowledge about an attempt by an ex-chief of police to discredit a whistleblower. She had claimed that she had no authority to intervene in the matter when a judicial inquiry was under way. But once Sinn Fein, the hardline party of the left, moved a vote of no-confidence this month, her exit was inevitable. While Prime Minister Leo Varadkar initially defended his deputy, the opposition Fianna Fáil, on whose support the Fine Gael minority government depends, moved a motion against her. Ms. Fitzgerald’s resignation has averted the collapse of the government for now. The reprieve Mr. Varadkar has earned has come at a critical stage in Ireland’s negotiations in the European Union over the implications of Britain’s exit from the bloc. At issue is the maintenance of the status quo of open borders with Northern Ireland, which underpins the landmark 1998 Good Friday agreement. Britain’s withdrawal from the EU customs union could lead to the reintroduction of security checkpoints.

Agreement on the status of the Irish boundary is one of the three EU preconditions for Brexit negotiations to move to the next phase, to discussions on a free-trade agreement between London and Brussels. There has been greater progress on the other two elements of the terms of Britain’s divorce — a financial settlement and the reciprocal rights of U.K. and EU citizens. The future of the Irish border is intertwined with the nature and shape of the U.K.’s relationship with the bloc, and clarity could take some time coming. Mr. Varadkar’s insistence on obtaining written assurances on how London proposes to prevent a hard border and the threat to block Brexit talks are possibly aimed at domestic audiences. Dublin has even demanded that post-Brexit, Northern Ireland be integrated into an EU regulatory regime. London’s conservative government, propped up by the Democratic Unionist Party, may view this as no more than political posturing by an equally weak government across the border. The broader reality is that Britain is Ireland’s largest market, and the gateway for sizeable exports to Europe and the rest of the world. In the current state of Brexit negotiations, a spirit of reasonable accommodation could well define the future.

Vocabulary

Avert: turn away one's eyes or thoughts.

Example: She averted her eyes during the more violent scenes

Synonyms: turn aside, turn away

Scandal: an action or event regarded as morally or legally wrong and causing general public outrage.

Example: A bribery scandal involving one of his key supporters

Synonyms: outrageous wrongdoing, impropriety, misconduct, immoral behavior

Allegation: a claim or assertion that someone has done something illegal or wrong, typically one made without proof.

Example: He made allegations of corruption against the administration

Synonyms: claim, assertion, charge, accusation, declaration, statement

Intervene: come between so as to prevent or alter a result or course of events.

Example: He acted outside his authority when he intervened in the dispute

Synonyms: intercede, involve oneself, get involved, interpose oneself

Inevitable: certain to happen; unavoidable.

Example: War was inevitable

Synonyms: unavoidable, inescapable, inexorable, ineluctable, assured

Reprieve: cancel or postpone the punishment of someone, especially someone condemned to death.

Example: Under the new regime, prisoners under sentence of death were reprieved

Synonyms: grant a stay of execution to, pardon, spare, grant an amnesty to

Implication: the conclusion that can be drawn from something, although it is not explicitly stated.

Example: The implication is that no one person at the bank is responsible

Synonyms: suggestion, insinuation, innuendo, hint, intimation, imputation

Reciprocal: given, felt, or done in return.

Example: She was hoping for some reciprocal comment or gesture

Synonyms: given/felt in return, requited, reciprocated

Domestic: existing or occurring inside a particular country; not foreign or international.

Example: The current state of US domestic affairs

Synonyms: national, home, internal

Accommodation: a convenient arrangement; a settlement or compromise.

Example: Management was seeking an accommodation with labor

Synonyms: arrangement, understanding, settlement, accord, deal, bargain