Better-paid TDs, more powerful ministers – and other ideas to improve Ireland |
Here’s four ideas that might improve our politics and public life. There might not be much prospect of them happening, but they are worth thinking about.
We don’t have the worst electoral system, but it promotes localism, intraparty competition and short-termism, and incentivises TDs to concentrate on servicing their constituents, rather than thinking about the national interest. A bit of this is not much harm – but when it becomes the defining feature of political behaviour it is most definitely a problem.
Irish politicians have become experts at managing this, which is why it is possible for national politicians to wail about the housing crisis in the Dáil and then object on flimsy grounds to housing developments in their localities. Voters may be happy about this, but they shouldn’t be. A different electoral system – a combination of constituencies and lists, perhaps – might help.
Unless there is a constitutional amendment to change the rules, the number of TDs is going to keep increasing. That will invariably breed public resentment. Why not reduce the number, pay them better, and give them more responsibility? One of the reasons that politicians are so obsessed with constituency work is that you need so few votes – by international standards – to get elected. Depending on the constituency, you could do it with 7,000. You can do it anywhere with 10,000. It’s........