Voting towards another happy consensus..?
Again in that Doughty Street discussion one thing became clear was the huge inertia that exists within the Republic’s political system. Hopes of political renewal are often quickly dashed when, as Fintan O’Toole notes in his CiF blog this evening, the election result gives into weeks of internal horsetrading, and out comes an amalgam of government parties who’s capacity to make clear executive decisions are further curtailed by the preordained priorities of the social partners. Consensus government at its very best? Or the prosaic politics of a corporatist state? The former, perhaps. Or at least so long as the economy remains bouyant.
I don’t see how there is any inertia. Change is as quick as the electorate want it. A Dáil majority is still a Dáil majority. The voters can change the makeup of the Dáil as quickly or as slowly as they like – more likely though is that the parties change to reflect public opinion.
The Irish electoral system is the most responsive system I’m aware of. In every constituency there is usually at least one seat to play for, meaning the larger parties don’t have any safe constituencies they can ignore. Also the transfers mean that there is no such thing as wasting votes on no-hopers, hence new parties and ideas have a good chance (if and only if the voters like them of course).
The media is in for a surprise
Bertie will be back . The opposition have not done enough and their spokespersons have been annihalated in debate with FF and PD Minsters .
Somewhere over the rainbow -Maybe next time !