The art of politics

“The great Gaels of Ireland are the men that God made mad, For all their wars are merry, and all their songs are sad.” [1]

Ireland seems to be on the road to recovery following a devastating famine that reached its peak in 1847 (We take our history seriously).

A consequence of a thriving economy and immigration is that the population of the island has risen to 7 m. and we seem to be heading towards a pre ‘47 population of 8.5m.

The constitution, of the Republic of Ireland, demands a TD (MP) for between 20 to 30k of the population which means that the number of politicians should increase. The committee tasked with the job of redrawing constituency boundaries has settled on 174 TDs after the next general election an increase from the present 160.

As a profession politics is not held in high esteem; even by office holders. A Government Minister declared that we can’t keep adding TDs “ad nauseum” and that there should be a “cap” of the number. Would a health official demand a cap on the number of doctors, nurses or ambulance personnel if the population rose further?? Would any other professional body envisage such a cap in engineering, law or education, to name but a few?

In Ireland there is a legal limit on the number and size of donations a politician may receive, and this is enforced rigorously, if not by the statutory body, then by those of differing political persuasions who make a career out of catching their opponents out. It still requires a relatively significant amount of resources in time and money to fight an election; with no guarantee of success. The Irish system is based on proportional representation (single transferable vote) which although complicated is fairer than the first past the post system applied in other democracies.

The call for less politicians is in essence the definition of populism. Who else do we blame for our woes? “They’re there too long. It’s time to give the other crowd a chance” is a phrase that isn’t applied to any other profession but is frequently used in the context of politicians and political parties.

Choice is the essence of the democratic system and a jaundiced view of politics in general can be attributed to the sins of a few. The experience of other jurisdictions would indicate that leaving the same decision makers in place for decades is not always in the best interests of its citizens.??

We should celebrate the democratic system we enjoy, improve it where we can, while avoiding undermining a profession that serves us well.

[1] G.K.?Chesterton’s epic poem, “The Ballad of the White Horse”?

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