The RTÉ Prime Time Investigates report on corruption among some councillors broadcast last night inevitably draws a reaction of how do we rid a country of corruption. A simple answer might be to stop electing probably corrupt candidates. Charles Haughey continued to get elected even though rumours that he amassed his fortune corruptly were rife. Michael Lowry continues…
Posted by Eoin O’Malley, Dublin City University Parties are increasingly unpopular. The recently released European Social Survey (wave 6) shows parties are distrusted by 85% of Irish people (compared with parliament and the government distrusted by 75% and 77% respectively). Ireland isn’t that unusual; Most countries show a large majority lacking trust in parties. Danes,…
Posted on behalf of Dr Aodh Quinlivan, UCC This blog builds upon a 2009 Local Election Report (co-authored with Dr Liam Weeks). The report is available to access free, online, in a virtual issue of Irish Political Studies on Local Government and European Parliament elections http://explore.tandfonline.com/page/pgas/fips_elections Local elections in Ireland are regarded as somewhat of…
Dr Proinnsias Breathnach, NUI Maynooth Chris van Egeraat and Seán Ó Ríordáin have made far too much of the Local Government Bill, which is a very weak and ineffectual piece of legislation derived, in turn, from the foregoing Action Programme for Effective Local Government, an appallingly inept document which goes nowhere near doing what it…
Dr. Deiric Ó Broin, NorDubCo I present the third opinion piece in context of the debate on Local Government Reform, organised by the Regional Studies Association – Irish Branch. The package of proposals contained in the Local Government Bill, 2013, the Report of the Local Electoral Area Boundary Committee and the Final Report of the…
Brendan O’Keeffe (Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick) A reformed local government system in Ireland has a key role to play in promoting territorial development and competitiveness. Earlier this year, Ireland’s LEADER Partnerships undertook extensive and in-depth consultation with citizens in several counties. As a result, and following liaison with the European Commission, OECD and…
Post by Chris van Egeraat (NUI, Maynooth) and Seán Ó Riordáin The Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government launched his reform proposals to generally underwhelming degrees of debate on the 12th October 2012 and a year later the Oireachtas is considering these reforms with the Local Government Bill 2013. (See here)
Posted by David Farrell (March 8, 2012) The government’s (presumably first) annual report 2012 includes a chapter on political reform, helpfully listing the achievements to date. At first blush, if we take the list purely at face value, it does look impressive enough:
Last week The Irish Times published the late Peter Mair’s excellent speech at MacGill this year (about 30 minutes in). Mair argued that the problem in Ireland is that we don’t respect our State. We have never respected our State. We have never had a sense of belonging for our State. If anything we have…
Post by David Farrell (July 11 2011) A re-reading of the Coalition Government’s Programme for Government is timely. It’s worth taking stock of the political reform proposals that have been implemented, those that are on going, and those that are (firmly) promised. There has been some undoubted progress, but a lot – a lot –…
Irish Politics Forum 