But there are unmistakable signs that vested interests, rather than the common good, are increasingly being served by the process. Trade unions' successful challenge to the outsourcing of driving tests to a private company is just the latest, but probably the most serious, example of this. At a time when 130,000 people are on the waiting lists for driving tests, and deaths on the roads are virtually an everyday occurrence, it is utterly indefensible that an initiative to help clear this backlog has been stymied.

The decision raises very serious questions about who makes decisions that are crucial to this country and its citizens.

Last year, we had a farcical delay in the decision to proceed with a second terminal at Dublin airport, a vital piece of infrastructure. The clear priority for the democratically elected government of the day was not in serving the interests of the people it purports to represent, but making sure the trade unions were kept on side.

The same held for the benchmarking process, with the government handing over billions of euro in pay increases to the public sector without getting anything in return.

Undoubtedly, trade unions still have a vital role to play in protecting workers' rights, but social partnership must not allow them or anyone else a veto over decisions that are clearly in the common interest.

It is to be hoped that the current pay talks are successful, but running the country is a job for the government of the day.