Q&A: The Irish political system
Yesterday, I had a question from Vanessa Linke about the political system in Ireland. I'm certainly no expert on politics, so my attempt at answering her question probably leaves a lot of room for improvement. If you know more, please add your comments below.
Hi Liam – I thought of a topic that would be of use for us/perhaps other members. We thought we sent in our voter application forms about a month ago, but when we just checked the register ”for fun” at http://www.checktheregister.ie/, we just found out we are NOT registered (or perhaps incorrectly), and I now have to make a trip down to Dublin City Council tomorrow to meet the deadline.
Assuming we can get ourselves registered to vote, do you have any ideas where to find out more about the Irish political system, the electoral process & the different parties? Admittedly, we do not know much about that aspect of our new home, but aren’t the type to ”just pick one” and would really like to know how to educate ourselves without being brainwashed.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
~Vanessa
Thanks Vanessa (@nessylink) for the question.
Great question, Vanessa! Thank you.
I’m not sure if there is a delay in updating the information on checktheregister.ie, but I do remember anxiously checking and re-checking it a few times last year, before the marriage equality vote. My details were included on there eventually, but I don’t recall how long it took.
I hope the trip to the city council office turns out fruitful.As regards the Irish political system, I found very good (hopefully current) information on Ireland-information.com.
The article covers the constitution of Ireland, the government setup, the electoral system, etc.For a list of political parties in Ireland, refer to this Wikipedia page. From there you can find their websites, local offices, political stance etc
You may also want to check out the Irish Statute Book online at http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/. You can search it by keyword, phrase, Act, year etc.
As for issues to be voted on, they are always hotly debated on TV. Especially the more divisive ones. RTE shows such as Prime Time and Claire Byrne will host political debates when the time comes. Being a state broadcaster the hosts are required to be impartial, but of course the opinions of the guests are very much slanted one way or the other. You’ll also find political shows on Irish radio. The Irish Radioplayer mobile app is quite handy to have on your phone.
I do recall receiving voting material prior to the marriage equality vote last year. Not just from canvassers looking to sway your vote, but official information, with impartial advice on what to expect if the act passed or not. I think this kind of material is sent out to every home, at least for major elections such as a constitutional change, but I don’t know exactly where it comes from.
I hope this helps.
Liam
Government buildings image credit: Flickr/psyberartist
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I find it ridiculous that many long term residents are not able to vote for the TD’s who represent them because those residents are not Irish Nationals. Personally when they knock on my door I tell them I will vote for the party that gives me the right to vote.
There are some reciprocal voting rights between Ireland and the UK:
http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/moving_country/moving_to_ireland/introduction_to_the_irish_system/right_to_vote.html#l862a3
Ireland is a two house parliamentary system. There are parallels to the UK system that can help explain the roles of each for those more familiar with the UK Parliament. Unlike the UK there are no hereditary positions. These are very simplified. In college I took a comparative politics class taught by a Holocaust survivor. He used this simplification and said it will probably offend many Irish, but then they would grudgingly admit there was some truth to it.
Those parallels actually exist with most two-house legislatures. Most two house legislatures were designed to have one house directly responsible to the people, and one less so. One house that is supposed to react to the whims of the people, and one that is supposed to anchor that in traditions and keep the government from swinging wildly.
The President is the Executive head and serves similar role to the Monarch does in the UK system, they sign off on the election of the Taoiseach similar to how the Monarch signs off on the election of the Prime Minister. He is elected every 7 years.
The Taoiseach is nominated by the Dáil, and serves a role similar to the Prime Minister in other parliamentary systems like the UK or Canada. Members of the Dáil and Seanad act as the cabinet and ministers of different government departments. Only 2 can at most can be from the Seanad.
The legislation is divided into two house – Dáil Éireann which is elected similar to the House of Commons. There are local representatives called Teachtaí Dála or TD’s. The Dail originates fiscal legislation (If I recall correctly) legislation, and then it is sent to the Seanad for approval, and can be amended by the Seanad. Other bills may originate in either house/chamber. Then it is signed off on by the President who could in theory send it back. Not sure how often the President does so. In the UK the monarch has rarely exercised that power in the last century or so. The Dáil has some parallels to the US House of Representatives but without fixed term lengths.
The Seanad Éireann serves a purpose similar to the House of Lords and the original form of US Senate. Its members are selected through different means including panels from different parts of the economy, elections by college graduates only, and an electorate consisting of representatives from incoming and outgoing members of the legislature. Like the House of Lords, or the original function of the US Senate when it was appointed by state governor’s instead of direct election, the role of this house is to mitigate lemming like trends to swing rapidly one way or another in policy. The members are not as directly beholden to political fads/winning re-election from their constituents, and are supposed to be more thoughtful on issues.