Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

Chairperson of An Coimisiún Toghcháin, Ms Justice Marie Baker (left) and Chief Executive Art O’Leary following a press confrence at the Royal College of Physicians. Alamy Stock Photo

Opinion The Commission has done the state some service but more TDs won’t solve the big issues

Dermot Ryan says while the boundary changes this week are welcome, a new system of electing TDs is necessary for a modern Ireland.

AS THE DUST settles on the electoral commission’s constituency review, TDs, wannabe TDs and political parties are now clear about the pitch they will be playing on come the next general election.

The commission had a very difficult task. No matter what changes they recommended we were always going to see a ‘domino effect’ on the numbers of seats per constituency and county boundaries. They were never going to keep everyone happy.

On the face of it, reducing the average number of people represented by each of the now 174 TDs is a good thing for democracy. Particularly welcome is the removal of seven of the 10 existing county boundary breaches, although the increase in the proportion of three seat constituencies to 32% from 23% of constituencies (nine of 39 to 13 of 43) will potentially impact the diversity of our representation, both in terms of smaller parties and independents, and potentially in terms of gender balance.

Politics for a modern Ireland

But the bigger question is how many TDs, and which system of electing them, will give us the capacity to tackle the big issues we face. The electorate isn’t screaming for ‘more TDs’, but rather for more housing, climate action and world class education and health services.

The real challenge now is to convince the public that how we elected TDs and how many we have has a direct impact on their daily lives.

Take climate action – a recent EPA report found that 96% of Irish people think climate change is happening, with 79% of people thinking it should be a ‘very high’ or ‘high’ priority for our government.

Yet when the rubber meets the road and changes are proposed as to how we farm or design new public transport routes, the multi-seat electoral system forces TDs to outdo each other to respond to vested interests. Accordingly, the ‘he or she who shouts loudest’ – whether it’s the commercial farming sector or urban residents who speak out against proposed new bus routes – claims that their human rights are being violated.

The same can be said for housing, where most agree we need to lessen urban sprawl, but the proposal of a housing development over a few stories can lead to years of planning system hold-ups, supported by local TDs and candidates, who don’t dare to take go against what is sometimes a knee jerk reaction to proposed development.

Parish pump

However, the close contact of our TDs to local communities also brings huge value. In the UK system, Northern England MPs were known to live in London 95% of the time, only visiting constituencies for major events, clinics, and at election time.

This contributed hugely to the ‘red wall’ success of Boris Johnson in 2019 and was a significant factor in the Brexit vote before that.

So, can we have our cake and eat it? In a mixed-member system, as they have in New Zealand, we would continue to have directly elected local TDs while also offering a national ‘list system’ to ensure diversity of views and talents and to make room for big ideas.

With one TD per constituency, voters would vote in order of preference, ensuring that after several counts the successful candidate would have to achieve the support of over 50% of voters.

Of course, this system could favour bigger political parties, but given our connection to local personalities and issues, who would rule out Michael Lowry TD for a new one seat constituency of Thurles?

By having a mixed system, that would elect half of our TDs on a national list, smaller parties would be well represented, and a diversity of voices would be easier to achieve.

This would help to achieve gender balance and any other targets in terms of diversity. It would also allow us to have a greater contribution to decision making from recognised experts. We could benefit from the wisdom of clinicians when planning for a health service and experts on climate to help us pass a cleaner, more sustainable country to the next generation.

This system is just one of many that could encourage a political class that grapples with the big issues, whilst keeping our politicians in touch so that they are bringing the community with them. This is how great change happens – be it a universal health system, accessible childcare and education or a safe and secure place to call home for all our citizens. If we can frame the discussion in terms of these outcomes rather than talk about ‘adding more TDs’, I’m confident the public is up for the debate.

Dermot Ryan is an advisor to public sector and not for profit leaders and has several years of political campaign strategy experience both in Ireland and Australia, including as campaign manager for Labour’s Ivana Bacik’s in a bye-election in Dublin Bay South. He is also the Chairperson of Alice Public Relations. 

VOICES

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

View 10 comments
Close
10 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Michael Dineen
    Favourite Michael Dineen
    Report
    Aug 31st 2023, 3:57 PM

    No system is perfect. But our Proportional Representation – Single Transferable Vote (PR-STV) system is one of the better ones around and we will mess with it at our peril. What is needed is a campaign to educate people how to use it properly alongside a very strong campaign to get people to actually use their votes.

    Votes can change things, but only if they ae used. If everyone who comments on social media or down the pub about wanting to get rid of our current government actually went out and voted there would be a complete change. Talking about it does nothing. Voting appropriately changes everything.

    Not voting is actually a vote for the Status Quo, a vote to keep what we have. Governments love it when the people who complain do not vote. Everyone, and yes that means you too, needs to get out and vote wisely at every available opportunity. And do educate yourself on PR-STV. True people power.

    27
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Louis Jacob
    Favourite Louis Jacob
    Report
    Aug 31st 2023, 4:04 PM

    @Michael Dineen: I completely agree. It’s a good system and voting is the only way to work it properly. I’m all for reducing voting age 16 and making it a part of some kind of civics course in the leaving cert curriculum. And leave them all take a day off school to go in to vote then.

    9
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Chris O'Brien
    Favourite Chris O'Brien
    Report
    Aug 31st 2023, 4:38 PM

    @Michael Dineen: Sounds clever until you realise this system you call one of the best has produced single rule for 100 years, which in turn has guaranteed that nothing works, unless you’re a multi-millionaire or multinational.

    And no, that didn’t change with the percentage of people that voted.

    Nothing about the state of this country is an advertisement for its political system.

    16
    See 2 more replies ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Brendan O'Brien
    Favourite Brendan O'Brien
    Report
    Aug 31st 2023, 4:41 PM

    @Chris O’Brien: The people got what they voted for. What system would have worked better?

    Your claim that ‘nothing works’ simply isn’t true.

    8
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Michael Dineen
    Favourite Michael Dineen
    Report
    Aug 31st 2023, 5:15 PM

    @Chris O’Brien: People get what they vote for, that is democracy. People who do not vote don’t get the say they are entitled to. Not voting is essentially voting for the same again as those who vote usually continue to vote and very often vote the same way. So we get the same result.

    I personally know very many people who complain about the current government and I am always amazed at how many of them admit to not bothering to vote.

    If people like that did actually vote we might very well see changes.

    If they continue not to vote than they can really have no complaints when things stay the same. By not voting they are essentially signalling that they are very happy indeed with the current situation and do not want it to change.

    The right to vote was a very hard fought right and not using that vote is being a poor citizen and a poor member of a community/ constituency/ country.

    7
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Patrick Presley
    Favourite Patrick Presley
    Report
    Aug 31st 2023, 2:29 PM

    In culinary terms if we boiled all the politicians down and reduced them to a sauce we’d end up with the consistency of Mattie McGrath. Not thick but full of flavor.

    14
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Nope
    Favourite Nope
    Report
    Aug 31st 2023, 7:23 PM

    We need to reform the senate , at its best it is undemocratic , at its worst it is like it’s UK counterpart the House of Lords .We should not have a Toaiseach who plays the game , who like his UK counterpart was voted in by a small minority – his fellow politicians , not the public and he has a very small mandate from even its own constituents . Even his own party , if you include councillors didn’t vote for him as leader . It’s should be about democracy and integrity not horse trading and doctoring the weaknesses of the system . The “people’s assembly” is also undemocratic , who are they? how did they get there ? and should be abolished

    11
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Nodon
    Favourite Nodon
    Report
    Aug 31st 2023, 2:57 PM

    I wouldn’t agree with having half of all TDS elected by small one seat constituencies. Our general elections are already too parochial. It would push national issues further down the list of priorities.

    9
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Louis Jacob
    Favourite Louis Jacob
    Report
    Aug 31st 2023, 2:42 PM

    The cabinet shouldn’t have to be made up of elected TDs. The Taoiseach should propose a cabinet made up of the best available in society and ratified by vote in the Dail. And the only referendum should be a referendum to get rid of the stupid rule that you need a referendum. To change the constitution. It’s only an illusion of democracy used as a political tool by the government as an election promise.

    12
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Brendan O'Brien
    Favourite Brendan O'Brien
    Report
    Aug 31st 2023, 2:55 PM

    @Louis Jacob: I agree on the first part (Jim Dooge was a minister who wasn’t a TD), but if the constitution could simply be legislated away, we might be left without basic rights.

    14
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

Leave a commentcancel

 
JournalTv
News in 60 seconds