Irish Politics

...which is easier than understanding Florida elections. 

The Irish political system is a parliamentary democracy. That is, people vote for their politicians, and can, in the immortal phrase, "toss the bums out." So issues of key national importance are carefully discussed, then mostly ignored. The really important stuff is scandal and rumour. Local issues are always important. You want to jump to the head of some government waiting list for housing? Contact your local politicians. You have a problem with local garbage collection, or potholes? Contact you know who.

Then the politicians will voice their concerns, put in the good word, bluster and rhapsodize. And the real powers-that-be in Ireland just might deign to do what's being asked. Under the Irish system, most politicians have almost no power save that of the bully pulpit - and knowing the right people.

Take local government first. Local government is overwhelmingly financed by the national government. Local governments which fail to agree a balanced budget can even be disbanded by officials from the Department of the Environment. Even if all local councillors vote one way on an issue, the county or city manager is under no obligation to follow their advice. So, real power resides totally in the hands of an appointed official who is chosen not by the citizens of a county, but by an independent, civil service dominated committee.

Of course, in reality, no one reaches the exalted heights of local government manager without learning to pay close attention to the desires and needs of the local representatives. It isn't pure democracy, but it works. A major change in the funding of local government became law in early 1997. It was supposed to give local councillors much more say and power in fiscal matters. It didn't really work that way.

National Uber Alles

At the national level, all power, and I mean ALL!! power resides with the cabinet of 14 ministers who run Ireland. Each of these 14 ministers rules a personal fief, or department, and deals daily with issues within his or her area of concern. Important matters are discussed with cabinet colleagues, a vote is taken, and the majority decision becomes law.

How? That majority decision of the cabinet is put to a vote in the Irish parliament, or Dail. Which always, always votes in agreement with the ministers. And why do the elected representatives of the people always agree with the ministers? Because the ministers that form the government come from parties holding a majority of seats in the Dail. You don't get to be a minister unless your party and its allies can enforce its will. You've got to have the votes in the Parliament. When you don't because some of your faithful colleagues stab you in the back, or an allied party can't stomach your politics anymore, the government falls. A new election is called. All the politicians lose their jobs until the people vote them back into office or obscurity.

No one likes losing their job. So, colleagues rarely vote against the decisions of the 14 ministers. When they turn their back on the party and vote their own way, it's said that they have "resigned the whip." Good image, that. Obey the hand that holds the whip, vote with your party, and all goes well. At least till your party gets tossed out of office by upset voters. Elections must take place at least once every five years.

A very powerful group of the highest bureaucrats in each of the 14 ministries also holds tremendous power. So does a circle of multi-millionaires. But, that's about it. It's an all powerful "golden circle" that really rules the country. But, ultimately, the politicians' jobs are on the line so, as in any democracy, they listen. Posture, make pronouncements, dance around the issues. But they do listen. And count votes.

The Parties

Most of the parties are very similar. That's why the last time a government was formed the furthest left party could happily go into government with a slightly left of center party and a strongly right of center party. It shows the remarkable homogeneity of the Irish populace - even with the likes of Americans like me and other "aliens" dotting the countryside. The fuss and bother of Irish politics signifies, many people feel, little more than an attempt by one party or another to get themselves into a position to enjoy the "Mercs and Perks" that come with high office.

There are currently six parties represented in the Dail, or Parliament. The biggest is Fianna Fail, a right of center party with about 40% of the popular vote (41.6% in 2007). This party grew out of the Civil War which split Ireland in the early 1920's. Fianna Fail were basically the people who opposed ceding the 6 counties of Ulster to the British in return for freedom for the remaining 26 counties. Once in power, however, Fianna Fail stood firmly with democracy and disarmed dissident IRA groups. The dominant party in Ireland since its founding, they have only rarely been out of power. In 2007, they gain 78 seats with 83 needed to form a government.

The second biggest party, with about 25% of the vote (27.3% in 2007), is Fine Gael. Fine Gael started as the supporters of the Free State, and in modern times they have been a strong rural force, though their appeal is urban as well. Like Fianna Fail it is a center-right party. The key attraction of Fine Gael to many voters is simply that they are not Fianna Fail. Fine Gael had a titanically awful election in 2002, dropping to their lowest support in modern times. But, 2007 marked a comeback. The party now is confirmed in its perennial second-place with 51 seats.

Next biggest party is Labour, which was the first party that did not grow out of the Civil War strife. As its name imples, Labour has been the most important center-left party, and polls somewhere between 10 and 18% (10.1% in 2007). In 1998 the Democratic Left party joined labour to strengthen the center-left position. In 2007, labour held 20 seats - just about exactly where they stood 5 years earlier.

The Minor Parties

Progressive Democrats were originally a splinter from the Fianna Fail party, but now a recognizably different political group. They are the furthest right of the political parties, and might be characterized as Free Market Reagan-Thatcherites, though this does not do justice to the complexity of their various positions. They were decimated in the 2007 election and manged to elect only 2 representatives to the national assembly. There is an open question mark as to whether the party will survive. In 2007, they received 2.7% of first preference votes.

The Green Party approaches politics from an environmental viewpoint. They've grown quickly and have left their sprouts and sandals image behind. The party's foreign policy is radical and they led the opposition to the Nice Treaty and the Iraq war. The party did very well in the 2002 election, tripling their number of Dail deputies to 6.They inched up another 1% of first preference votes in 2007 to 4.7%. But, their total number of elected representatives remains 6.

Sinn Fein used to be the political arm of the IRA. With peace in the north, the party has dropped the guns and seeks an electoral mandate. They get it in the North where they dominate the Catholic/Republican/Nationalist vote. In the south, Sinn Fein is actively aiming for the disenfranchised voters - the unemployed and those feeling powerless. The youth vote is another big target of Sinn Fein organizers. In 1997 Sinn Fein elected their first sitting Dail representative since the 1950's. In 2002, they surprised everyone with their organization and pulled a respectable vote. They looked on target to achieve 12 seats in the 2007 election. Nope. The party's northern leadership looked out of place and out of touch. The result in 2007 - 4 seats, down on their previous representation.

Finally, there are several independents. One fellow elected to the Dail in the 1997 elections ran on a ticket of better television reception. Others champion key local problems like fewer potholes. In reality, the entire swath of so called independents are really Fianna Fail members who ran after the party refused them spots on the local tickets. Running as independents they showed up the official Fianna Fail guys who tried to shove them into the outer darkness. All of them dependably vote with Fianna Fail. They're as independent as a yo-yo on a string. In 2007, independents received 6.7% of first preference votes throughout the state, but elected a total of 5 of their number. Four of the five are "gene pool" Fianna Fail, the other is a Fine Gael'er kicked out for corruption. (Always a good vote getting strategy in Ireland.)

PR

PR stands for Proportional Representation, which is the voting system here. It's a complicated system indeed. The country is divided into constituencies, which mostly follow county or city boundaries. Each constituency elects 3 to 5 parliamentary representatives.

How? Each voter fills out his or her ballot by noting their first choice, second choice candidate, and so on down to 14th or 18th position. When the votes are counted, a third to a fifth of the votes cast must name a candidate as choice number 1. That person(s) is elected. But what about the other unfilled positions? All the ballots of the winning candidates are recounted and the voters' second choice is noted. Then a percentage of those votes are given to any candidates still in the field. Meantime the lowest vote candidates are dropped and their ballots are redistributed to the second choice candidates on those ballots. Complicated, no?

Eventually, more and more last place candidates have their ballots redistributed and ever more representatives are elected. A great number of elections hinge on voters' fifth and sixth choices, a fact blithely ignored by many voters who concentrate only on their top choices. I've heard of one fellow who perversely votes for the least likely candidates just so his vote will be redistributed again and again!

The result is that parties like the Greens and Sinn Fein do manage to get representation in the Dail, despite representing small minorities of the total electorate. The elected representative might be everyone's 6th choice, but often that is enough to get in.

Cynical Views

Re-reading the above paragraphs reveals a rather cynical view of Irish politics. Actually, the system works well and perhaps that hasn't been conveyed clearly. Ireland is a very personal place. Everyone knows everyone else, or their cousin. So politics is a matter of rubbing elbows, attending pub meetings, showing up at funerals and weddings, and all the person-t- person style of life that makes Ireland such an attractive place to live.

Despite problems, occasional crookedness, centralised power - Ireland is a very healthy democracy where citizens can make their needs known and generally expect those needs to be met in a fair manner. It ain't the American way - but it works.

The Next Election

It's a comin! It'll be here by May 2012 since an election must take place within a five year period. The parties in control of government can call an election sooner if the polls are going their way or if a government falls, but in general, general elections generally take place at five year intervals.

Who Can Vote?

• Irish citizens can vote in every election and referendum.
• British citizens may vote at Dáil, European and local elections (not constitutional referenda).
• Other EU citizens may vote at European and local elections.
• Non-EU citizens can vote at local elections only.
  
  To be eligible to be included in the Register of Electors, you must:
• Be at least 18 years of age on the day the Register comes into force (15 February)
  And
• Have been ordinarily resident in the State on 1 September in the year preceding the coming into force of the Register.
  
  Irish citizens living abroad cannot vote in an election or referendum here in Ireland with the exception of Irish diplomats and their spouses who are on duty abroad.

Background Articles from the Newsletter

A Nation of Scholars - Election 2007

No scholar of arcane lore studies mystical scribblings more deeply than the “talleymen.” These are the political junkies from each party who scrutinize the paper ballots as they tumble from the election boxes.

As each new box is opened, the talleymen keep a running count of the votes. A good talleyman can tell you the exact vote count from a parish, and if he knows the area well enough, he can almost break the vote down by family.

“We’re down 4 votes in Kilgobinet Parish. Ah, now wouldn’t that be Mrs. Murphy and her family who are on vacation…”

Of course, there are so many new houses and families and anonymous subdivisions that I’m exaggerating. Barely.

Anyway – the final count with 83 representatives of 165 needed to form a government

• Fianna Fail – 78 seats (41.6pc)
• Fine Gael – 51 seats (27.3pc)
• Labour – 20 seats (10.1pc)
• Sinn Fein – 4 seats (6.9pc)
• Greens – 6 seats (4.7pc)
• Progressive Democrats – 2 seats (2.7pc)
• Independents – 5 seats (6.7pc)

Fianna Fail first swept into power about the time most families bought their very first radio. And, here they still are at the top of the heap. No other party has dominated the polls anywhere else on this planet for so long. This marks six straight wins for the party. Bertie Ahern will now be the “grandfather” of the European Union, in power for longer than any other leader of the 27 nations.

A Mood for Change - Election 2007

How did the lads do it?

Well, Bertie’s Team (the actual election slogan) are blessed with an opposition that just doesn’t ignite sparks. Oh, their policies are sound, they say the things people want to hear. But, the leader of the second party, Enda Kenny, can’t seem to talk except in sound bites. He just doesn’t connect the way Bertie does.

Enda and all the opposition parties kept telling us that there was a mood for change. People wanted change.

Unfortunately for Enda, the kind of change they want is the jingly kind in their pockets. And, after a decade of economic prosperity under Fianna Fail, it turned out to be the economy, stupid.

Bertie and bags of the jangly - Election 2007.

The 2002 Election

'CRY HAVOC!' AND LET SLIP THE DOGS OF WAR (Shakespeare, Julius Caesar Act 3, Sc.1)

Poor Michael Noonan! The leader of the second largest political party in Ireland witnessed the mashing of his own legions during the national elections. Not since the founding of the Republic has a party taken such a huge beating at the polls.

Fine Gael lost 23 of its 54 parliamentary seats. And, it was the highest profile Fine Gael deputies who took the brunt of the hit. While Noonan didn't exactly cry havoc, he did admit that the results were worse than his worst fears. Fine Gael's representation in Dublin dropped from 12 to 3 deputies, making it only the fifth largest party in the capital city.

Labour, the third largest party, miraculously came through the election with an extra seat or two. This was thanks to the Irish system of proportional representation where voters' fourth and fifth choices ultimately elect some of the candidates. But, Labour's basic vote - those who chose a labour candidate as their first choice preference - has collapsed in half over the past decade.

By late 2005, Fine Gael and Labour were both in stronger positions. Several by-elections (held when someone dies in office or has to resign for health reasons) have swung their way. These two leading opposition parties will probably head into the 2007 election as a united ticket, pledged to work together to form a new government.

O FOR A MUSE OF FIRE! (Prologue to Shakespeare's Henry V)

Up from the depths, now we "ascend the brightest heaven of invention, A kingdom for a stage...."

The winner, and still champeeeen, is Bertie Ahern and his Fianna Fail party. This has been the dominant and ruling party in Ireland for the better part of 75 years. The only comparable record has been the unbroken rule of Mexico's PRI party till Vincente Fox's victory a few years ago. Even Fidel might envy the party's long ascendancy.

Bertie - the moniker proclaims 'man of the people' - led his 'Soldiers of Destiny' to a near majority. They're just two votes shy of the magic mark. Basically, the Irish nation voted for more of the same - low tax levels, prosperity and a likeable and approachable Taoiseach.

Still, the endless revelations of corruption touched a nerve. And the Progressive Democrats, the party which has partnered with Bertie for the past five years, got a huge vote after they warned everyone that Fianna Fail might actually get a majority and rule unchecked. The PD's argument was that the quote opposition unquote of Labour and Fine Gael was useless and that we needed someone on the inside to keep Fianna Fail's worst excesses in check.

Since this was the truth people voted for them in droves. Compare this to the typical blather of promises and economic statistics offered up by the so called opposition.

The PD's had a great election! Their first preference votes actually dropped a few percent, but they were everyone's second choice. In Ireland, that ends up electing people and the party rose from 4 seats to eight.

There was a finely choreographed mating dance, and then the PD's and Fianna Fail married for another five years, remaining "monarchs to behold the swelling scene!"

As of 2006, the two parties continue to work together. The PD's leader, Mary Harney, has taken up the poisoned chalice of the Health ministry and the always outspoken Minister of Justice is also a PD. Though Fianna Fail has taken a hit in several by-elections and in the polls, their hard core support of 32% is holding steady. Under the Proportional Representation scheme, this guarantees them the pole position in Irish politics.

A TERRIBLE BEAUTY IS BORN (William Butler Yeats, Easter 1916)

The other winners in 2002 were the Greens and Sinn Fein. The Greens tripled their first preference votes. There are now 6 Green representatives, up from two, and this is a huge breakthrough for the party. They have a real presence now.

Sinn Fein, the politically acceptable face of the IRA, doubled their vote and jumped from one deputy to five. This is the story that made the headlines internationally. Sinn Fein deliberately targeted the unrepresented underclass. They earned a lot of votes by taking on drug dealers in poor housing estates and threatening mayhem. They earned another set of votes because everyone knows these guys (and gals) stand for real change - they're not going to sell out for a fancy Mercedes. All their new deputies vowed to take a standard industrial wage (31,000 euro) and donate the other two thirds of their salaries to further organisational work.