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Discrepancy Between Electoral Outcomes and Political Representation in Irish Politics

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    #62
    martingriff
    Registered Users Posts: 10,876 ✭✭✭✭martingriff


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121739817#Comment_121739817

    On your last point shouldn't our national parliment be about the whole country and not local issues



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    #63
    Jim2007
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators Posts: 10,261 Mod ✭✭✭✭Jim2007


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058335248/discrepancy-between-electoral-outcomes-and-political-representation-in-irish-politics

    In very simple terms you don't get to define what democracy is. It is simple the set of rules that a country agrees to be to be governed by and in the case of Ireland those rules have been enacted by the people which makes it together with Switzerland unique in having a sovereign people. Twice now the Irish people have considered changing the PR system and rejected any attempt to change it and on one occasion even returning the party that proposed the change, FF with their highest majority to that date on the same day. On top of this they have further rejected changes to both the office of president and the status of the Seanad. So it is fairly safe to assume that the Irish people are happy with the way the country is governed and the chances of you convincing to do otherwise is very slim.



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    #64
    dulpit
    Registered Users Posts: 10,807 ✭✭✭✭dulpit


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121745710#Comment_121745710

    Yes, but if you don't have a nationwide representation then it's not about the whole country. The whole country includes local issues on a wider scale.



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    #65
    dulpit
    Registered Users Posts: 10,807 ✭✭✭✭dulpit


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121745807#Comment_121745807

    Doesn't Malta also use the same system as us?



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    #66
    Jim2007
    Moderators, Business & Finance Moderators Posts: 10,261 Mod ✭✭✭✭Jim2007


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121746551#Comment_121746551

    They, like many states in Europe use a form of PR either by voting or lists, but their parliament is sovereign. To the best of my knowledge Ireland and Switzerland are the only ones at least in Europe where the people are sovereign and Ireland is even stricter than Switzerland. In Switzerland a referendum directs parliament to change the law and as a result it is technically possible for parliament not to act, where as in Ireland the people actually change the laws.

    This makes it difficult for popularism to gain serious traction in either country, not that it has not been tried, it is very hard to convince people who regularly make decisions about the direction they want the country to go in that they need to elect you to make it happen. Separating the strategic decisions (how do I want the country governed - referenda) from the tactical decisions (who do I want to run the country - elections) produces voters with a different mentality.



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    #67
    Ten of Swords
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 23,276 CMod ✭✭✭✭Ten of Swords


    Mod - Thread closed

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