One of my political mentors used to say to me “We will have to go round the countryside shaking the hedges, trying to find some candidates” I had a fair idea what he meant, but more recently I have been thinking, his approach might struggle to get anyone willing to stick their heads above the parapet!
During my brief time in frontline politics, even at the relatively modest level of local government, I encountered something that has stayed with me ever since. It was not the tribalism — you expect that here. It was not the bureaucracy, although that is suffocating in its own right. What struck me most powerfully was the number of people involved in politics who simply lacked the ability, competence, or capacity you would reasonably expect from anyone in public life. And not just the odd individual here or there. Far too many.
It is a difficult thing to say out loud, because it sounds harsh. But it is also true, and it is a truth that matters. We face a deeper problem than a dysfunctional Executive or stubborn political stalemate. Northern Ireland is suffering a hollowing out of political talent. The people who might once have been attracted to public service — the capable, the thoughtful, the technically competent, the people with useful experience — are increasingly choosing to stay away. Many of those who did step forward have already left.
Another situation saw me in conversation with a well established and highly respected local public affairs professional. He empathised, “Eugene, make sure you retain your seat….for we need competent people in there to help make things happen…”
And this should alarm us far more than it currently does.
Consider the people who have departed the Assembly in recent years. Individuals like Chris Lyttle, known for his meticulous committee work and ability to master complex detail. Or Sinéad Bradley, whose sincerity and dedication made her highly regarded beyond her own party. Or Steven Agnew, one of the most articulate environmental voices the institution ever had. Or Simon Hamilton: A former DUP MLA and Minister for Finance, Health, and the Economy, who left politics to serve as the Chief Executive of the Belfast Chamber of Commerce,
Whatever one’s political persuasion, these were people who approached the job with purpose, competence and a sense of responsibility. Their absence is felt not just within their parties, but in the quality of the wider conversation at Stormont.
Their departure is part of a broader pattern. Stormont has become a place where it is increasingly difficult to govern and nearly impossible to achieve anything meaningful. The Executive feels paralysed — constrained by financial realities it does not control, hemmed in by political vetoes, unable or unwilling to take difficult decisions. The atmosphere is one of inertia rather than leadership. People who want to make things better quickly find themselves trapped in a machine designed to prevent change. The result is predictable: capable people walk away, and fewer capable people ever consider entering in the first place.
This creates a vicious cycle. Dysfunction makes political life deeply unattractive to those with ability. As those people withdraw, the average competence level falls. As competence falls, the dysfunction worsens. Parties struggle to recruit candidates with real-world experience or professional expertise, because those people look at the environment and conclude — quite rationally — that they can contribute more effectively from outside politics than within it. The system slowly becomes populated by those who are willing to tolerate its dysfunction, rather than those equipped to fix it.
And now, as Stormont once again teeters on the brink of collapse, the risk is that this cycle accelerates. If the institutions fall apart, or limp forward in their current state of paralysis, we will see even fewer people of ability choosing to enter politics. Why would they? Who wants to spend their life defending an institution that cannot deliver, working within structures that actively prevent progress, and absorbing public frustration for decisions they are not empowered to make?
The danger is not just political. It is cultural. When competent people withdraw from public life, they are often replaced by those motivated by narrow interests or by individuals who lack the depth, expertise, or judgement required for the responsibilities they are given. Debate becomes more performative and less substantive. Policy becomes thinner. Long-term thinking evaporates. The distance between government and society widens. And when thoughtful, civic-minded citizens finally decide that the entire system is beyond repair, disengagement becomes the dominant instinct. Not apathy — but resignation.
This is how democratic decline happens. Not through a single dramatic event, but through the gradual erosion of competence and confidence. A slow draining away of the people who once held the system together.
If this continues, Northern Ireland could become a place where good governance is no longer expected and where poor leadership is accepted as something inevitable. That is not simply a political problem. It is a societal problem. Because once a generation grows up believing that politics is hopeless, the restoration of trust becomes almost impossible.
Yet decline is not unavoidable. We have been honest in recognising the problem; now we need to face what it means. If we want better politics, we have to create conditions that attract better people — and that means institutions that function, parties that prioritise ability over loyalty, and a political culture that rewards courage rather than compliance. It means rebuilding a sense that politics can still be a place where serious people can do serious work.
But we must act quickly. Because the people we most need in public life — the competent, the capable, the thoughtful, the grounded — are walking away. And if they do not return, we will all live with the consequences.
Eugene Reid is a keen observer of all things business and politics. A former elected representative who has had a career working across the private, public and voluntary sectors! Bringing a unique perspective from a diverse and varied background.
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