OPINION: Ireland's democratic deficit

THERE is a serious democratic deficit at play in this country. Sadly, it is obvious at both local and national levels. One does not need to reexamine the recent referendum debacle to realise that those in national power are becoming more and more removed from the notion of service and being answerable to the people.
Thankfully, a referendum is an opportunity for the electorate to speak. It affords an opportunity to quell those in power who, effectively, speak out of turn. Weasel government words attempting to create polarisation by labelling people who think differently have not won out this time.
Unfortunately, another shadow of national politics emerged with the news that government politicians advocated ‘Yes’ votes but voted ‘No’. With a growing democratic deficit traits like decency, honesty and integrity are burned on a pyre of disrespect, contempt and insolence. And politicians wonder why people no longer believe them!
Government NGOs wheeled out to seek ‘Yes’ votes were silenced. One observer noted, ‘The Mammies of Ireland have silenced the Women’s Council. Feminism at its best!”
Come closer to home – the Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) is, some claim, ‘imposing’ their route choice on the Belclare-Murrisk Greenway, alongside Mayo County Council. It means that several local people will be discommoded as their lands are spliced and privacy affected by walkers and cyclists.
The Government announced €360 million (December 2021) for greenways as part of the climate action strategy. A Code of Best Practice for National and Regional Greenways has since been drawn up with an ‘early sign-up’ fee payable to landowners. Landowners with less than 100m affected would receive €3,500 per linear metre; 101m-250m €8,750; €14,000 for 251m-400m; and to €19,250 for 401m-550m. More than 550m starts at €19,250 and is adjusted upwards based on the length involved.
Some people who attended a recent public ‘consultation’ on the Belclare-Murrisk Greenway were told that any dialogue would be ‘one-to-one’ and no ‘group’ discussion would be entertained. They were also told that CPOs (compulsory purchase orders) would be used to acquire land (including, some claim, part of an ancient woodland) if people refused to ‘play ball’. This does not appear to be a textbook notion of consultation, but rather the old colonialist motto of ‘divide and conquer’. Time will tell.
Staying locally, Holy Trinity School was informed that their long-awaited ‘new school’ plans for the long-abandoned old Scoil Phádraig on Altamont Street have been long-fingered, again. The old school is to be given to the Sacred Heart Secondary School to assist with pupil accommodation problems. Again, who makes these decisions? All this does is pit local schools against each other. This is not educational management.
People are being made to pick up the pieces strewn about by the mistakes of people in power. In this case it is the Dept of Education and Mayo County Council, both of which have, as one person put it, ‘overseen the horrible dismemberment of a beautiful, classical building in the heart of our town’ in Westport.
How does this latest news impact on plans already in place for the Convent site? Plan after plan has been set aside on this project, a monument to local and national incompetence on a grand scale. And who takes responsibility for all the slobbering? Certainly not anyone who gets paid with a government cheque, aka taxpayers’ money.
Move to the health ‘industry’ and we see the same thing. What was once a service has now been commoditised, with a price put on everything. Management structures have replaced service and management performances have taken precedence over patient care. Where once ‘the money followed the patient’ now it is poured into management structures with their KPIs (key performance indicators). It is a classic case of the tail wagging the dog, or, to echo Oscar Wilde, it is about knowing the cost of everything and the value of nothing.
Responding to management structures rather than patient care is now the norm. For a small country our health service is a national disgrace.
Local elections will be upon us all too soon. Party politics plays a smaller role as local politicians generally work together, even if election fever will test some relationships. We shall see how it plays out.