General Irish politics discussion thread

Reminds me of their " expenses " e.g. Sinn Féin TD Aengus O'Snódaigh who 11 years ago then defended his past use of Dáil printer ink cartridges, after he ran up a bill of €50,000 bill over a two period, at cost to the taxpayer. God knows what else goes or went unreported.

FF and SF the big winners according to this pollster.

https://x.com/hmcevansoneya/status/1697942160320950388?s=46&t=MHLdqDzwJDAPD_LQ3WhyzQ

If this is your view, then obviously the optimal number of TDs is zero.

Our MEPs can and should deal with much EU business. Are you claiming New Zealand does not have international responsibilities? New Zealand participates in the United Nations (UN); the World Trade Organization (WTO); World Bank; the International Monetary Fund (IMF); the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD); the International Energy Agency; the Asian Development Bank; the Pacific Islands Forum; the Secretariat of the Pacific Community; the Colombo Plan; Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC); and the International Whaling Commission. New Zealand also actively participates as a member of the Commonwealth. Despite the 1985 rupture in the ANZUS military alliance, New Zealand has maintained good working relations with the United States and Australia on a broad array of international issues. New Zealand was never shy of playing its part internationally, for example in WW" in the defeat of Axis forces - it certainly contributed more on many levels than Ireland.

If you google it, you will also find that New Zealand's economic involvement with Asia has become increasingly important. New Zealand is a "dialogue partner" with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), a member of the East Asia Summit and an active participant in APEC.

As a charter member of the Colombo Plan, New Zealand has provided Asian countries with technical assistance and capital. It also contributes through the Asian Development Bank and through UN programs and is a member of the UN Economic and Social Council for Asia and the Pacific.

All this while many of our overpaid TDs are more concerned about trying to stand up for the neighbours right to cut and sell turf in the midlands, or their neighbours potholes in Kerry, the mother of 6 from Co. Clare who received €12,000 from her SF party after it emerged she left a housing charity out of pocket.

Bit of bad faith debating to harp on about one far-away country that fits your argument, whilst continuing to ignore the European examples you've been provided (e.g., Finland, Norway, Slovakia, Denmark) with similar population sizes and MPs/TDs roughly in line with us.

New Zealand appears to be the outlier in the 'functioning Westernized democracies with population of 5M to 6M people' category. Now it may be that they are right and all the others are wrong, but that seems dubious enough and not something we can accept as the fact that you make it out to be.

The average around the world seems to be one MP for 60,000 people. Here in Ireland we currently have approx 3.3 TDs per 100,000 people.

Denmark 3.1,

Greece 2.8,

Portugal 2.2,

Austria 2.1

Hungary 2

Czeck Rep 1.9

Romania 1.7

Belgium 1.3

Poland 1.2

Italy 1

UK 1

France, Netherlands, Germany, Spain : all less than 1 MP per 100,000

I doubt if most of the more efficient countries have over politicians seemingly " more concerned about trying to stand up for the neighbours right to cut and sell turf in the midlands, or their neighbours potholes in Kerry, the mother of 6 from Co. Clare who received €12,000 from her SF party after it emerged she left a housing charity out of pocket."?

I don't think you'd have to look too hard to find inefficiencies in every one of those country's listed. Our nearest neighbour's being the most obvious.

It is a G7 country, nobody said or claimed it was perfect. Point was, do they waste resources on paying politicians seemingly " more concerned about trying to stand up for the neighbours right to cut and sell turf in the midlands, or their neighbours potholes in Kerry, the mother of 6 from Co. Clare who received €12,000 from her SF party after it emerged she left a housing charity out of pocket."?

G7 or not, it is just as inefficient as anywhere else if you want to concentrate on inefficiencies. You have wealthy millionaire MP's caught fiddling expenses too...'filling a moat' was claimed for by one if I remember correctly. You do of course have MP's who concentrate on local issues just like anywhere else. One of the peculiar inefficiencies though would be the amount of MP's who are absent locally as their seats are so safe.

Society agrees with old age pensions, children's allowance.

They have more mixed feelings about long term unemployed receiving the dole for decades.

They also don't like the salaries and expenses for politicians. 14 new TDs will cost the state about 2 million euro per year between salary and expenses. Is it worth it?

So you think it's worth it? Value for money. Will there be tangible differences to the nation with these extra TDs and 2 million bill every year.

Well again I have to repeat whether these extra TDs will actually change anything for the nation.

I'm almost certain it won't.

Well the referendum could be held on the same day as elections. I personally think the referendum clause in the constitution itself should be changed. We keep having to have these ridiculous referendums every now and then when the government is there to make changes.

We have to have a referendum soon on removing the women in the home section. Surely in a sane world this should just be removed without any referendum. I suspect the turnout for such a vote will be tiny.