Ireland is in a bit of a political quandary at the moment and it is united in this pickle. In the south, we have political logjam with the two largest parties not even able to form a coalition government together. The result, Fianna Fail backing a lame duck Fine Gael led coalition with independents, some of whom have been still trying to vote against government policies put forward that they didn’t like, only to realise they would in fact be voting the government they were part off out of government and having to quickly change their positions.
Wonderful.
In the north we have a coalition enforced through the GFA. One party blatantly despises the other and does precious little to hide it. The other is reaching out but having all efforts thrown back in its face to the point of ridicule but more importantly leaving it now failing the community it supposedly represents. The coalition survives because one party is less obstinate than the other and more patient than the people it represents.
Super
Both systems are obviously failing, but all we hear is, what is the alternative? What are we paying these people for? The politicians in both parts of this island have for too long been lining their pockets out of the public purse and not providing value for money.
It is time for change. The current system of government is based on a Westminster model, which repulses me. In fact, even the judiciary with their daft wigs I find abhorrent. I don’t want two parties at each end of a chamber putting one another down. The politics of opposition do not fit well with Ireland. They suit one party domination which is not really feasible in Ireland due to its history. In the south, Fine Gael are a unionist party, they may claim to support an all island union, but they are a unionist party more in common with the UK conservatives. Fianna Fail are supposedly a republican party, that at one time was interested in Irish unity but no more. They also appear to like working within UK models of governance. Sinn Fein are the party on the rise and are more in touch with the people on the ground which will inevitably lead to them being in government in both parts of the island but are populist and change tact like the wind.
The labour movement is finished throughout both of these islands and is unlikely to be in power again any time soon in any part of them.
In the north, the DUP are also a unionist party, but unlike Fine Gael are also pro partition with the added spice of being a sectarian, homophobic right wing Christian movement with anti-Catholic overtones.
Then we have Sinn Fein who are seeking reconciliation and agreement from unionism to dump the UK and build a new Ireland, without dealing with the past.
Genius
Neither government will last. The fastest growing position is voter apathy and turning our backs on Stormont and the pathetic arrangements for government based on animosity and mistrust. Until the past is resolved, neither side is fit for government.
So what are the solutions?
First of all, running Stormont alongside failure to deal with the past needs to stop. Until the past is dealt with, I no longer support a half functioning Stormont. There should be joint rule until such times as the past is properly dealt with. Only then can the parties truly represent both communities in government. The single biggest issue on this island at the moment is water charges. Stormont borrowed money to cover operations which included soaking up water charges, but they are there and that money is running out. Is Stormont going to keep borrowing to avoid having to deal with water charges in the north?
They haven’t gone away you know.
In the south, Fianna Fail blatantly back tracked on its commitment to scrapping water charges and is trying the usual pig in a poke attitude in the hope over time the people will simply pay up and accept them. I am saying now, the people on both parts of this island will not accept water charges. We are not getting value for money from our political setup and reforming this could cover the cost of water charges. I suggested in a previous comment when asked what was the alternative, a new Irish Citizen Charter would be a good place to start. I think all water charges should be scrapped now and a commitment given they are off the table going forward, then a 24 month period of negotiation involving all sections of the Irish people in drawing up a new citizen charter that is fit for purpose. This should include a new way of doing politics, dropping the UK style opposition and also the failed forced coalition models.
I suggested dropping the upper/ lower house model and replacing it with a 2 tier council of government where the largest party must get a majority consensus with the second house meaning both winners and opposition are actually both in power and the opposition provides the fall back and performs all of the roles of the senate.
The people only pay for two so the same main parties can control both. That is a waste of money. The GFA provides the opportunity for Irish self-determination. The new charter should be inclusive of all parties and all parts of the island and all of the Irish people on it should be given the opportunity to support it or not in both parts of the island. A Sinn Fein led referendum on unity will never be supported by unionism. If we want to build a new Ireland for all of our people, it has to be built for all of the people and led by the people.
I would like to see the young people leading the way on this. The schools and colleges throughout this island working together to form a movement calling for change.
Any other suggestions on how to make this happen?
Mandatory coalition that there is in Northern Ireland is simply a recipe for gridlock. Even if you take away the nationalist and unionist aspects by forcing SF and the DUP into goverment your expecting a left wing socialist and a right wing conservative to work smoothly together. It’ll never happen.
I think mandatory coalition should be ended. If no party has a majority then only parties that are willing to cooperate together should form the goverment.
“I think mandatory coalition should be ended. If no party has a majority then only parties that are willing to cooperate together should form the goverment.”
That is the way it normally is Scott, but doesn’t always work as you can see in the south now where they call Micheal Martin ‘The Real Taoiseach’
I hope the people remember that when the houses are repossessed and water charge collections enforced.
What about my suggestion, doing away with the senate or house of lord as it is in the UK?
Instead of one Dail or whatever it is called in Westminster, there are instead two councils. A lead council formed by the largest party or coalition and a secondary council formed by the second largest party or coalition. We could filter in some form of opposition within each council if needed to keep some happy, but the point it, all parties have some influence on government during a term by setting a very high acceptance vote to pass laws such as 75% support over both councils.
Not to get into too much detail, the point is we stop wasting money un stupid peer based senate and have all parties involved in some way while keeping distinction of who is responsible for bad governance at the same time preventing the people suffering the remaining term of office to remove water charges for example.
It sounds nice in theory Jessica but my only concern would be if both councils had to pass laws and receive a majority of 75% it would only lead to gridlock especially on those issues were parties disagree
The voting system (STV) in Ireland means that it’s difficult for one party to achieve a majority so coalitions are a near certainty since so many different parties get elected.
The upper house in a parliamentary system should be on the most part mainly a scrutinising body who’s job should be to review laws and look for problems that the lower house hasn’t properly thought about. As such I think the upper house should be full of experts in there field. People such as top judges, doctors, leaders of charity organisations, business leaders etc. Sadly upper houses at the moment seem to be retiring grounds for ex front line politicians. How we chose those experts is the tricky question
Is the system your suggesting used anywhere else in the world?
“It sounds nice in theory Jessica but my only concern would be if both councils had to pass laws and receive a majority of 75% it would only lead to gridlock especially on those issues were parties disagree”
The idea was that instead of the public paying for a government, an opposition and an upper house to rubber stamp legislation, the upper house or senate would be dropped.
Only the party of government would be able to create laws, the lower council would be given opportunity to propose changes before going to a vote, basically taking on the role of the senate or house of lords. It also means new laws would be discussed among all of the parties in both councils before hand and no surprises and all opinions taken into consideration.
The UUP and SDLP have been complaining that they don’t get to see legislation until the last minute, I thought this would sort that issue as well as save money.
It would not lead to gridlock but would not stop a party from abusing power either, but might make it more likely within reason.
You would like to think the electorate would punish parties abusing power, perhaps not in the north but in Ireland overall I think it could work.
I have no idea if it is used anywhere, this was only off the top of my head based on issues from both parliaments, Stormont and Dublin. A better thought out solution would be needed. I just don’t think the Westminster style system inherited from the UK suits us.
Yes, An all Ireland Health Service to begin with. The biggest stumbling block against the nationalist people voting for re-unification.
“Yes, An all Ireland Health Service to begin with. The biggest stumbling block against the nationalist people voting for re-unification.”
The NHS in the north is a joke.
I would be dead today if it hadn’t been for a private health care policy I held through work at the time.
Britain will be privatising the NHS in stages, it will be gradually outsourced to smaller GP independent clinics.
In the event they remain in the EU this will be accelerated.
Ireland needs to look at a similar model and then how to make it free to the most vulnerable and affordable to the working class.
I don’t want to live in Cuba no matter how good their free health care service is.
Should we look to the Nordic Countries as a better way to run a society? Having lived here I can testify that in general they are fairer societies. However, there are influential Nordic politicians who want to change the ethos of social democracy, Nordic style, and use-guess who-Ireland as a better way to compete in the modern World. Ireland with its so called open economy has sometimes been mentioned to me as the way to go. I find it ironic and stupid that The Nordics would want to imitate our economic culture and dispense with their own, but some seem to think it would be a good idea. However, at the moment, they are in a minority thankfully. What do you think Jessica?
“Should we look to the Nordic Countries as a better way to run a society?”
Iceland has done a tremendous job of rebuilding its economy after suffering the most from the banking crash.
It has been innovative in creating new industry using its natural resources which have been successful, used the lessons learned in financial crash to stimulate new tourist attractions showing how the banking crash happened and grown a new market. It also achieved this without joining the EU and going through the austerity program enforced by the EU. There are plenty of lessens Ireland could learn from them.
If Ireland could put aside our differences and unite the country successfully, produce a new form of post conflict governance and create a new national identity bringing together all of our people, we would have the potential to build a very strong economy and deliver the social reforms that would deliver an excellent and fairer welfare, education, health sectors we could be proud off.
We could revisit the project at the maze with confidence it will be fair and reflect the agreed shared and accepted narratives of our past which would be the biggest tourist attraction on the island. The land runs for miles along the motorway which could accommodate hundreds of hotels, as well as used to attract new business and jobs in a more central location with good road and rail access.
It would give us the confidence to produce a growth strategy that would enable us to borrow within the EU at German interest rates and this would allow us to build road infrastructure linking cities throughout Ireland that will make travel to work easier, open tourism connections and internal trade routes developing small business and also reducing the need for our people to leave their homes to look for work.
Norway is over 100% self sufficient in renewable energy.
I work with people in this sector who have confidently told me Ireland could be 100% self sufficient within 5 years if there was investment.
The same concept has been tested, the coast around Kerry is ideal and offers the same environment used in Norway.
We are also an Island with multiple options to produce renewable energy. I am sure we are innovative enough to improve on this and find new ways to harness and sell on the energy produced as well as the technology to produce it which we could develop in other parts of the world both through implementation and consultancy.
I would like to see reform of the banking sector and break the links with London and to take more ownership of our own financial sector as well as our infrastructure. Why should Germany own our roads?
I also think the relationship with GB would improve with unification. In the event of a brexit, not to have a border with a non EU nation would be a bonus.
In the event they stay, opening up trade from the measly 2 billion north south trade has the most potential. At the moment only 1 billion is with other EU countries and the rest with the UK. That our biggest trade is not north south is astonishing, although probably more to most bigger businesses setting up in the south to trade with the EU to avoid currency charges so partition is probably harming the northern economy more than we know.
I could go on but you get the idea what we could do if we could get peace and reconciliation over the line.
Curiously Jessica, in my, long forgotten primary degree dissertation I dealt with a Bill of Rights for Ireland, ourselves just at peace, the rest, as today, bickering and playing games while people starve and/or emigrate.
One thing I did point out in the dissertation was, in the six counties, we do pay for water, at the time I think the figure, obtained by my neighbour, the economics editor of UTV, was £241/annum.
Like our cousins in the Saor Stat, I have no objection to paying a fair charge, through in Ireland, indirect taxation but, I shall not pay twice for the same service, rates are sufficiently high and sufficiently wasted on junkets without increasing taxation to permit idiots to go seek out a big Christmas tree.
“Like our cousins in the Saor Stat, I have no objection to paying a fair charge, through in Ireland, indirect taxation but, I shall not pay twice for the same service, rates are sufficiently high and sufficiently wasted on junkets without increasing taxation to permit idiots to go seek out a big Christmas tree.”
I wonder did you consider the amount paid in rates as being value for money Mark?
I spent 6 years as a consultant, mainly in the public sector in the north and to say it is badly run is an understatement.
On one project I worked closely within one of the councils in Belfast for 6 months and the regularity which people I needed to work with took time off was astonishing.
One reform I would make would be no pay for time off. People were taking weeks off at a time with full pay.
Sick days were considered by many like holidays that had to be taken throughout the year.
During that project some people clearly did not have the ability to undertake the job they were employed for, yet were seeking promotion.
I actually had a complaint against me that I was pushing them too hard and going too fast, where the finance director asked me to slow down and admitted they were promoted from within and under skilled for the jobs they were doing but to go easy on them.
I thought I was taking it easy. I am just from a private sector background and not used to standing around talking, drinking coffee and basically dossing so much each day.
I would hope things have moved on from then, that was 10 years ago but I somehow doubt it.
I also don’t mind paying for quality services, but not for bad management and waste.
Don’t ask that question off me Jessica, my answer would upset my teaching family and public/civil servants everywhere, feckless folk.
However, the amount paid in charges, by comparison to what is sought by an Bord Uisce is well over what appears to be the cost, it might be we, the non public service taxpayer, are being asked to pay for holidays, I was though referencing Iris Robinson, et. al.