Constituency Commission

Victor

Not very well noticed, but a Constituency Commission has been appointed to review Dáil and European constiuencies. It is to report by January 2012. It unclear if they are currently accepting submissions, but I doubt they will refuse them.

http://www.constituency-commission.ie/

amacachi

Should use the shortest splitline algorithm, simples.

Victor

I've put together a set of potential European Parliament constituencies and I have tried to score them as to which is best, with appropriate weightings. Before I reveal my hand, I would like other people's opinions on how to weight those scores. I have created a poll here if people would like to give their opinion. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/D83VTH2

amacachi wrote: »

Should use the shortest splitline algorithm, simples.

http://rangevoting.org/GerryExamples.html

Useful, but not necessarily practical. While you want it to be politically neutral, sometimes you also want constituencies that people can identify, e.g. everyone west of the river is in one constituency and everyone east is in the other. Irish multi-seat constituencies throw a (small) spanner in the works.

amacachi

Victor wrote: »

Useful, but not necessarily practical. While you want it to be politically neutral, sometimes you also want constituencies that people can identify, e.g. everyone west of the river is in one constituency and everyone east is in the other. Irish multi-seat constituencies throw a (small) spanner in the works.

Maybe you do, I don't. :pac:

Victor

Victor wrote: »

I've put together a set of potential European Parliament constituencies and I have tried to score them as to which is best, with appropriate weightings. Before I reveal my hand, I would like other people's opinions on how to weight those scores. I have created a poll here if people would like to give their opinion. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/D83VTH2

I've been running the poll and have 50 results. A small number of people didn't answer all options.

I've weighted the results as follows

Very Important = 2
Important = 1
Neutral = 0
Unimportant = -1
Very Unimportant = -2

which gives the order in the attached bar charts.

goose2005

Why do we need geographic constituencies at all? Age cohorts are surely a closer connector - I've much more in common with a 25-y-o in Kerry than a 70-y-o down the road

Victor

Irish constituencies are based on population, not voters. So if you take Meath, with a low average age due to the large number of children and young adults, those young adults are voting proxies for the children. Compared to Leitrim with an older age profile, where a much greater percentage of the population can vote, you would end up with a situation that 10,000 population in Leitrim would have more voting power than 10,000 population in Meath.

And geography is much more simple administratively - can you imagine:

Consitutency A is for people age 18 years to 21 years 143 days
Consitutency B is for people age 21 years 143 days to 24 years 269 days
and so on.

You would have politicians abondoning all concept of balance and only representing the issues that affect their votes now. Constituency A would have politicians working solely on getting people into nightclubs.

goose2005

Victor wrote: »

Irish constituencies are based on population, not voters. So if you take Meath, with a low average age due to the large number of children and young adults, those young adults are voting proxies for the children. Compared to Leitrim with an older age profile, where a much greater percentage of the population can vote, you would end up with a situation that 10,000 population in Leitrim would have more voting power than 10,000 population in Meath.

And geography is much more simple administratively - can you imagine:

Consitutency A is for people age 18 years to 21 years 143 days
Consitutency B is for people age 21 years 143 days to 24 years 269 days
and so on.

You would have politicians abondoning all concept of balance and only representing the issues that affect their votes now. Constituency A would have politicians working solely on getting people into nightclubs.

Well, A could be for all people born 1940-45, B for 46-50, C for 1951-55. It's only a suggestion, and geographical quotas are no more sensible - we baulk at the idea of forcing the parliament to be 50/50 by sex, but are OK with the idea that there has to be 7 for Kildare, 40 for Dublin, 5 for Mayo etc. As for your nightclub comment, is it any different to all the politicians who try to help "the area"?

Victor

Last date for submissions is today: http://www.constituency-commission.ie/docs/11.09.21%20-%20Final%20ad.pdf