Joint Committee on the Constitution
Call for Written Submissions
Review of the Electoral System for the election of members of Dáil Éireann
Article 16 of the Constitution
By Hugh Lyons
NUI Maynooth MA Student
25/11/09
Currently Ireland stands in a very uncomfortable place under the dark cloud of recession and
over the course of the last eighteen months our people have experienced hardship that of
which many have never seen before. Ireland’s political landscape has not been alien to this
either and in many ways has suffered the most. Over this time frame barely a day goes by
without the word ‘scandal’ lifting up its weary head. Politicians have suffered bad press as a
result of this and at present the electorate seem fed up, disillusioned and disheartened with the
current system. Now therefore is the time for a re-structuring of the way we elect our political
officials and also the way Dáil Éireann as a whole should work. Currently we have a system
that quite clearly isn’t working sufficiently. There are too many deputies elected to the house
at the moment who are basically lying idle. Without having the title of a ministry or that of a
spokesperson, deputies serve little purpose to the house and ultimately to those who elect
them. This is through no fault of their own but simply the system they are part of. In this
country it is party politics which is the flavour of the day, there is ‘no such thing as the
individual’ and the party must come first. It is the parties interests that come first and if one
acts accordingly on this basis then once they bide their time they will be dually rewarded.
This practice is strife in Irish politics and only on rare occasions where conscience comes into
play do we see deputies vote against the party. This suggests the need for a change in the
ethos of Irish politics something which due to our unique historical and societal
circumstances would be very difficult. A shift to a more policy orientated rather than a
localised party driven system however could be realistically achieved.
The current system of PR-STV elects too many politicians that are in essence wasted
and not utilised fully. As everybody is aware of TD’s spend the majority of their time dealing
with local issues within their own constituencies attending clinics, funerals, matches and
other such local events in order to ‘be seen’. This work is all part of the political machine and
very much a necessary element of gaining re-election. This means that there time attending
and been members of different committees is greatly affected. In the current system of multiseat PR-STV it calls for politicians who are skilled with dealing in brokerage and patronage
and in managing their constituencies. These skills are very different to those needed to create
national policies, laws and in general run our country. Within the system the broad range of
great minds and high fliers in Ireland often stand very little chance of getting elected due to
the pre-requisite of good local pedigree. Parties would be keen to run a high profile local
candidate rather than the most able person for the job due to the current system. The local
constituency work it seems gets in the way of matters of national importance. This occurs due
to our weak and ultimately powerless local government system which places these heavy
demands on our local TD’s. This needs to change; although our political system is admirably
unique we need to look at why this is. Our fellow European counterparts mostly employ a
fuse of a list system and proportionality. Now is the time for Ireland to implement a similar
system for elections. This would see a hybridisation of both systems for the Irish electorate of
both proportionality and a list system. Such a system would allow for a voter to vote for a
party list. Along with this they would still have the opportunity to vote for an individual. The
idea behind the list system would give each particular party the power to decide who should
head these lists. This would encourage the best political brains in the country to be part of the
system, as they would find it easier to get to the top. In Sweden for example it is required that
ministers move to Stockholm in order to dedicate themselves to their ministerial work and do
not deal with their home areas. In return for this they are placed at the top of their respective
party lists for the next election. Such a system I believe could be successful in Ireland but
only with the re-structuring of government at local level.
Therefore in conclusion I am proposing that we reduce the numbers of TD’s in Dáil
Éireann from 166 to a figure of about 138. Among this there should be a reduction in the
number of constituencies with the amalgamation of existing ones to create regional areas (for
example create a North-East constituency Cavan/Monaghan/Louth and make it an eight
seater). In accordance with this reduction in TD’s we should see the introduction of a hybrid
list and PR ballot paper. This would address the issue of high fliers and political brains been
left isolated from politics. It would also address the very noticeable gender imbalance which
exists in Irish political life. Within the list system parties could select their own TD’s for the
own cabinet and this would mean that politicians who for example are members of the
Sennad could be elected and handpicked by a party. Now in this current time of doom and
gloom is the time for new ideas, for new and dynamic ways of thinking and for a new
electoral system.
Hugh Lyons,
NUI Maynooth MA Student.
25/11/09