Constitutional reform

ITV leaders’ debate was “UK Politics Unplugged” in cacophonous sound and vision…

Mick Fealty on April 3, 2015, 8:32 am | Readers 1162

So, some quick post election debate thoughts: The sentiment where I was watching was why can’t we have women politicians as articulate and as politically attractive as Leanne Wood and Nicola Sturgeon. Although it was pot luck the Plaid Cymru leader got to perform the takedown on Nigel Farage over foreign HIV patients getting NHS treatment, it was what people will remember her by. Much as the SNP and Plaid gained profile, it comes at the detriment of Carwin Jones …

Reform, yes. But remember voters trust the electoral process if not their outcomes

Mick Fealty on August 16, 2014, 9:36 am | Readers 366

As an addendum to the issue of referendum gridlock the other day, here’s some sound advice from Theresa Reidy of UCC… get an electoral commission together first, and second be bloody careful with what reforms you choose to offer in future… Finally, two things to remember: Voters can become fatigued if they face too many elections, and voters have a high degree of trust in the integrity of the election/referendum process in Ireland. Mick FealtyMick is founding editor of Slugger. …

And next year whilst Ireland may be awash with Referendums, there will be little substantial reform

Mick Fealty on August 14, 2014, 12:32 pm | Readers 532

In Scotland there’s been talk of little else but the big referendum on whether Scotland should got it alone for two years. In Ireland the cycle of questions pushed out to the people seems to be speeding up… Olivia Kelly in the Irish Times notes they concern “reducing the voting age to 16, reducing the age barrier for presidential candidates from the current 35, and allowing same-sex marriage”, with “a fourth referendum could be held on the establishment of a …

Dropped Lords reforms, no boundary changes and government turns inward?

Mick Fealty on August 13, 2012, 8:39 am | Readers 53

There was a little spat last week, in the midst of Britain’s gold rush at the Olympics, the two men at the heart of government abandoned their attempt to reform the House of Lords (a Tory redline). In revenge, the LibDems cut their commitment to cut the number of seats in the Commons The Economist thinks it was a mistake both may come to rue: …the coalition is now far weaker. By trying to defuse rebellions in their own parties, …

Fine Gael need to get themselves a good public sector legacy on reform..

Mick Fealty on April 1, 2012, 7:35 pm | Readers 8

I’ve heard two angles on the issue of the over neglected issue of political reform… One, Brendan Keenan on Marian Finucane this morning suggested that since Fine Gael shows little appetite for anything other than rescuing the country from economic doom, Fianna Fail might use a rejuvenated reform agenda as a powerful ticket back to power and influence (if not actual government)… Noel Whelan thinks Fine Gael themselves need to pick up the reform ticket before it is too late …

Household Charge and the problem of unreformed and unaccountable local government

Mick Fealty on March 22, 2012, 12:57 pm | Readers 577

Talk to any politicos in London, or indeed anyone politically aware enough to notice in other parts of England and you’ll hear them heap praise on Ireland’s determination to get itself out of the deep bog the bank guarantee dropped it into. But the funding mess is being further complicated by the government’s determination to fast track what’s called a household charge. To those of us living in the UK, that’s an equivalent of the regional or district rates. This …

Royal succession laws changed

Turgon on October 28, 2011, 10:56 am | Readers 14

The BBC are reporting that the rules of succession for the Royal Family are being changed. The leaders of the 16 Commonwealth countries where the Queen is head of state approved the changes at a summit in Perth, Australia. As she opened the summit, the Queen did not directly mention the issue but said that women should have a greater role in society. David Cameron said the marriage of Prince William this year meant the issue could not be deferred …

Phil Hogan is wrong. Ireland needs more elected reps, not less.

Mick Fealty on July 1, 2011, 1:47 pm | Readers 2

Great rant from Noel Whelan on the Late Debate last night, regarding Fine Gael Environment Minster Phil Hogan’s claim that because of the latest census figures, he could not cut the current total of TDs by the twenty promised in his party’s manifesto: If Fine Gael wanted to reduced the number of TDs by twenty they could prepare a very short referendum bill that could be voted on on the same day as the Presidential election. They don’t need a …

“If you had a referendum to abolish the Dail, it would probably be carried”

Mick Fealty on January 4, 2011, 12:29 pm | Readers 2

So it seems the abolition of Seanad Eireann is about as popular with Fianna Fail Senators as the same suggestion by Enda Kenny was with Fine Gael members of the upper house. They’ve had a year to get used to it, so many of the sceptics are unwillingly coming round to accepting party policy. In the Irish Independent, Senator Jim Walsh of Fianna Fail was scathing of his own party’s senior murmurings: “It’s a throwback to our auction politics system. …

Fianna Fail’s ‘shimmy’ on Seanad abolition…

Mick Fealty on January 3, 2011, 5:28 pm | Readers 5

Given the government is now falling in with Fine Gael’s decision over a year ago to get rid of Seanad Eireann, without telling a lot of their own Senators, here’s my interview with Brian Hayes at that time for a literate overview of how we’ve come to this pass… (Bear in mind that it looks like they may have to force that one without the help of the Greens – ed) For reference, here’s Fianna Fail’s attack on the move …