Did anyone see the photo of Cowen, Lenihan and Coughman on the front of the Phoenix some weeks ago?
The three of them inherited their seats. Have we moved to an hereditary system?
What have any of them ever accomplished except to climb into their father's coffins and use the corpse for personal gain.
Which party is worst for the hereditary principle?
That happens worldwide and the reason it does isOriginally Posted by mountainyman
a) people identify with the same surname and want to elect the son/daughter/widow/widower of a TD
b) family members are intimately aware of how politics works so can step into the shoes of a deceased member.
It is the people in Ireland and abroad that decide they want to see a family member continue in politics. Parties often have explored choosing someone else only to find that the voters in the constituency want a family member to represent them. That is the real world.
[color=#FF0000](Guys, when I type in capitals it isn't shouting. I have technical problems which makes using italics difficult. Please don't take offence if you see capitals used!) [/color]
Hey look on the bright side, at least we don't' have gerrymandered districts with no opponents in some like the US Congress.
Signed, Universal (LGBT...QRSTUVWXYZ)
Most TD's kids learn really good people skills and know the grassroots network having spent their childhoods answering the phone and making tea etc. They are practically hardwired to become TDs, so unless they are truly awful they just have an advantage on all fronts.
Sad, isn't it, that "ability" or "talent" are not selection criteria? Only what it says on the birth cert. We get the politicians we deserve, I suppose, but sometimes I wonder do we actually deserve some of them.That happens worldwide and the reason it does is
a) people identify with the same surname and want to elect the son/daughter/widow/widower of a TD
b) family members are intimately aware of how politics works so can step into the shoes of a deceased member.
It is the people in Ireland and abroad that decide they want to see a family member continue in politics. Parties often have explored choosing someone else only to find that the voters in the constituency want a family member to represent them. That is the real world.
Fianna Fail - The Loss of Sovereignty Party.
While I would agree with the sentiment behind the post I think the phrasing is rather unfortunate if not downright distasteful.
It is true that in Ireland there is an established practice of picking son, daughter or sibling of the deceased TD to contest the subsequent by-election - or simply slot into the seat if it's a local government member that has died. It doesn't always run smoothly however as anyone who remembers the massive row that took place back in 1968 after Education Minister Donough O'Malley died (I don't). Fianna Fáil chose O'Malley's nephew Des O'Malley to contest the by-election but Minister O'Malley's widow Hilda was having none of it. While she didn't contest the subsequent by-election she did stand against her nephew in the 1969 general election. She polled almost 3,500 votes but was unsuccessful.
There's seems to be a deference towards the dead in this country (more so than there is to the living). However times might be changing a bit since the time Cowen, Enda and some others were elected back in the 1970s and 80s. Being a son or daughter of the deceased is a big help but not a guarantee of election.
It's not unusual for offspring to follow their parents in their choice of career. Doctors sons and daughters frequently become doctors, ditto for solicitors, teachers etc. We are attracted to what we know. Once we have free and fair elections I wouldn't get too worked up about Johnny Junior becoming a politician like Johnny Senior.
"Gods are fragile things; they may be killed by a whiff of science or a dose of common sense." - Chapman Cohen.
It's not unusual for offspring to follow their parents in their choice of career. Doctors sons and daughters frequently become doctors, ditto for solicitors, teachers etc. We are attracted to what we know. Once we have free and fair elections I wouldn't get too worked up about Johnny Junior becoming a politician like Johnny Senior.
"Gods are fragile things; they may be killed by a whiff of science or a dose of common sense." - Chapman Cohen.
Maybe that's why our Dail has so few skilled legislators
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They got elected
To live honestly, to hurt no one, to give every one his due.
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