Who's your MEP?

Greaney

Now that we've voted Yes on Lisbon.... You'd better know that a phonecall, letter to your TD or a visit to his/her clinic may not do the trick. For a start, who's your MEP, and, are they even from your county???

Europe is a bigger political animal and a powerful and driven lobby group is the only way to have a voice now.

Discuss...

28064212

Greaney wrote: »

Now that we've voted Yes on Lisbon.... You'd better know that a phonecall, letter to your TD or a visit to his/her clinic may not do the trick. For a start, who's your MEP, and, are they even from your county???

Europe is a bigger political animal and a powerful and driven lobby group is the only way to have a voice now.

Discuss...

No, but what does it matter? If I want a pothole fixed, I'll get on to my county council. If any MEP is making decisions based on their home county's needs, I won't be voting for them again, and they'll lose votes from every other county that isn't theirs. "All politics is local" is a complete misconception.

PaulieD

28064212 wrote: »

"All politics is local" is a complete misconception.

I laughed. Explain please.

28064212

PaulieD wrote: »

I laughed. Explain please.

I don't vote for MEPs and TDs based on what they could do for my immediate vicinity, and how many local problems could be fixed. That's what county councillors are for. TDs are supposed to be working for the good of the country, and MEPs for the good of Europe, not what they can do for one county at the expense of others. I'll take into consideration which group an MEP will sit with in parliament long before I'll think about what county they're from

Mark200

28064212 wrote: »

I don't vote for MEPs and TDs based on what they could do for my immediate vicinity, and how many local problems could be fixed. That's what county councillors are for. TDs are supposed to be working for the good of the country, and MEPs for the good of Europe, not what they can do for one county at the expense of others. I'll take into consideration which group an MEP will sit with in parliament long before I'll think about what county they're from

The MEPs are supposed to represent their own country in Europe. Just like TDs are supposed to represent their own constituencies in the Irish Government.

Scofflaw

Mark200 wrote: »

The MEPs are supposed to represent their own country in Europe. Just like TDs are supposed to represent their own constituencies in the Irish Government.

They're not, in fact - they're supposed to represent the people who elected them. That means that Joe Higgins doesn't really need to represent me - nor do I entirely trust him to do so.

The Commission's legislative role is to ensure that European legislation is fair to all countries (something which is then double-checked by the Council of Ministers) - the Irish MEPs shouldn't have to do so. MEPs usually vote according to their ideological position rather than their national group.

cordially,
Scofflaw

Red Sleeping Beauty

Do MEPs hold "clinics" like TDs ?

meglome

Alan Rouge wrote: »

Do MEPs hold "clinics" like TDs ?

I wonder do they rush your passport like our TD's do? I think I'd like my passport rushed, I've no good reason for it as there's a very good express postal service already.

Seemingly it happens the most in Donegal, ungrateful bastards

BlitzKrieg

i've been in touch with the labour mep's a numbe rof times prior to lisbon enquiring on specific worker's issues (and I voted for Alan Kelly in the european elections, so if I vote for him I might as well get him to work or me). So I've been in touch with my mep numerous time by email.

It takes a week or so for them to get back to me, but as you can see from my threads here my questions tend to be a bit long winded. I have been in touch once since the results, partly a congratulations mostly to ask some questions on a number of unrelated matters.


and to answer your questions

My mep is Alan Kelly, yes he is from my county next town over to me in fact and I have his website, phoe numbe and email address on file.

Agent Smith

My MEP's Are Gay Mitchell MEP (FG), Proinsias de Rossa MEP (Labour) and Joe Higgins MEP (Socialist)

I know that Gay Mitchell has, on numerous occasions, looked into stuff that someone really should be contacting their TD or local Counciler For. I cant speak for other MEP's, But its very true that all politics is local, People remember the person who got the bus timetable updated, who arranged for the local green area to be cleaned, who got them the infomation on where to get grant cheques and so forth.

Mark200

Scofflaw wrote: »

They're not, in fact - they're supposed to represent the people who elected them. That means that Joe Higgins doesn't really need to represent me - nor do I entirely trust him to do so.

They're supposed to represent the constituency/country that elected them. Your constituency as a whole elected Joe Higgins, so he is supposed to represent you. Whether you trust him or not.

Similarly, Fianna Fail and the Greens aren't supposed to just work for the people who voted for them. They're supposed to work for the whole country.

marco_polo

Mark200 wrote: »

They're supposed to represent the constituency/country that elected them. Your constituency as a whole elected Joe Higgins, so he is supposed to represent you. Whether you trust him or not.

Similarly, Fianna Fail and the Greens aren't supposed to just work for the people who voted for them. They're supposed to work for the whole country.

Indeed they do represent the people who elected them, presumeably by giving them a vote you support their political outlook, hence they sit in transnational parliament groups according to their political leanings. The purpose of the EU Parliament is to offer a counter balance to the national self interest prevalent in the Council, to ensure that EU legislation is in the best interests of all European citizens and not just the member states.

The key point is that they are free to excercise their mandate independently of the opinion of the government of their home country.

Scofflaw

Mark200 wrote: »

They're supposed to represent the constituency/country that elected them. Your constituency as a whole elected Joe Higgins, so he is supposed to represent you. Whether you trust him or not.

Similarly, Fianna Fail and the Greens aren't supposed to just work for the people who voted for them. They're supposed to work for the whole country.

True, but the point stands that Joe Higgins doesn't really need to represent me. He can represent sufficient of the vote in Dublin to assure his re-election without considering the interests of self-employed business people - or indeed, while actively working against those interests. His representation of 'Dublin' is meaningless, except on those very very few occasions when European level events have some specific outcome for Dublin that every citizen of Dublin would view the same way - or on those occasions when he might be called on by me - say, to act as my representative in obtaining information that the Parliament have access to.

Otherwise he's representing, quite correctly, a particular 'community of interest'. What's good for me is probably the same as what is good for other self-employed/small businesses, and that may be the opposite of what Joe feels is good for 'workers'.

In many senses, it is ridiculous to use geographic areas as the division on which we elect MEPs, since the point of European law - and the job of the Commission - is that it is supposed to affect all areas in Europe equally (disadvantaged regions aside).

It might be more fun if we had a corporatist system (I can hear the libertarian safety catches coming off!) whereby every voter was registered (annually, say) with a 'community of interest', and the seats were divided according to the numbers in each community. Fortunately, it's not really necessary in Ireland, because we have multi-seat constituencies, PR, and open elections.

cordially,
Scofflaw

PomBear

28064212 wrote: »

I don't vote for MEPs and TDs based on what they could do for my immediate vicinity, and how many local problems could be fixed. That's what county councillors are for. TDs are supposed to be working for the good of the country, and MEPs for the good of Europe, not what they can do for one county at the expense of others. I'll take into consideration which group an MEP will sit with in parliament long before I'll think about what county they're from

I agree with you in terms of an MEP but TDs are elected to represent their constituents, that concept was forgotten a long time ago though

Long Onion

This is the same old bluster that has seen the commissioner issue blown out of all proportion if you ask me. The MEP's should represent the greater good of the electorate, not the individuals who shout loudest.

The Commissioner is bound to represent the good of the EU and not the member state from whence (s)he was elected, This being so, why did people make such a song and dance about retaining one? What in the living name of the sweet baby jeebus has McCreevey done for the good of Ireland alone?

Lack of information is a serious issue in this country when it comes to discussing Europe, I wish people would read more and shout less.

PomBear

Long Onion wrote: »

This is the same old bluster that has seen the commissioner issue blown out of all proportion if you ask me. The MEP's should represent the greater good of the electorate, not the individuals who shout loudest.

The Commissioner is bound to represent the good of the EU and not the member state from whence (s)he was elected, This being so, why did people make such a song and dance about retaining one? What in the living name of the sweet baby jeebus has McCreevey done for the good of Ireland alone?

Lack of information is a serious issue in this country when it comes to discussing Europe, I wish people would read more and shout less.

Blame the people or the parties though?

Long Onion

PomBear wrote: »

Blame the people or the parties though?

I think it's the duty of the citizens to make sure they are sufficiently well informed on these matters - if this were the case, we would have no allegations of fact-twisting etc. etc.

PomBear

Long Onion wrote: »

I think it's the duty of the citizens to make sure they are sufficiently well informed on these matters - if this were the case, we would have no allegations of fact-twisting etc. etc.

Its an interesting thought, through Media Manipulation and politicians lies, I genuinely believe Irish people either find Politics boring and something they shouldn't be bothered with. Same with every developed nation.

View

Scofflaw wrote: »

True, but the point stands that Joe Higgins doesn't really need to represent me. He can represent sufficient of the vote in Dublin to assure his re-election without considering the interests of self-employed business people - or indeed, while actively working against those interests. His representation of 'Dublin' is meaningless, except on those very very few occasions when European level events have some specific outcome for Dublin that every citizen of Dublin would view the same way - or on those occasions when he might be called on by me - say, to act as my representative in obtaining information that the Parliament have access to.

Otherwise he's representing, quite correctly, a particular 'community of interest'. What's good for me is probably the same as what is good for other self-employed/small businesses, and that may be the opposite of what Joe feels is good for 'workers'.

In many senses, it is ridiculous to use geographic areas as the division on which we elect MEPs, since the point of European law - and the job of the Commission - is that it is supposed to affect all areas in Europe equally (disadvantaged regions aside).

It might be more fun if we had a corporatist system (I can hear the libertarian safety catches coming off!) whereby every voter was registered (annually, say) with a 'community of interest', and the seats were divided according to the numbers in each community. Fortunately, it's not really necessary in Ireland, because we have multi-seat constituencies, PR, and open elections.

cordially,
Scofflaw

One of the reforms for the next EU Treaty really should be to finally come up with a single standard voting system for the European elections. Ideally one with a two part ballot where:
a) one "vote" is for the party (or parties) of your choice and the overall number of votes in the EU for the parties determine the seats per party in the EP, and,
b) one "vote" is for the candidate (or candidates) of your choice and is used to fill the seats from the first part of the ballot.

That way it might sink in with the electorate that they are really determining the ideological balance of the EP when they vote not just kicking the government.

PS Anyone who knows the electoral system that most closedly approximates to the above, feel free to post the link.