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Link between Taxation and Representation in Ireland

  • 17-05-2012 8:57am
    #1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,511 ✭✭✭


    With all the taxpayers’ money being spent on EU, central and local government, other than casting a vote at election time, the average voter still has very little real say in political decision making.

    This is hardly surprising, when people only start to take an interest when the system affects them personally as regards jobs, taxes, etc. Many commentators feel that excessive centralisation of decision making and poor engagement with citizens have resulted in the current “top down” and “bottom up” democratic deficits. I tend to agree.

    At central government level, decision making power is concentrated in the cabinet, with TDs playing only bit parts on Dail Committees or when whips call them to vote. This leaves them spending inordinate amounts of time on “constituency work” (e.g. “getting” medical cards, etc., as opposed to shaping the future of the country).

    Local government decision making is also concentrated from the top down and left mostly to civil servants and the county managers, with elected councillors reduced to the role of lobbyists, requesting the county manager to provide for ad hoc services (e.g. grants / facilities to sports clubs, road repairs) when prompted by interested citizens.

    To repair the democratic deficits, the Programme for Government provides for some measure of reform of both central and local government:

    http://www.taoiseach.gov.ie/eng/Publications/Publications_2011/Programme_for_Government_2011.pdf

    Progress has been made on changes to central government, but local government change is limited to stuff like replacing the position of County Manager with a Chief Executive, giving more questioning powers to councillors, etc.

    On RTE’s Pat Kenny radio programme in March this year, Minister Phil Hogan promised, among other things, Local Government Reform (including the number of councils, new admin processes, more efficiencies, etc.).

    From what I can see, this will not address fundamental problems in giving local communities meaningful detailed information on how their taxes are being spent (budgets and accounts being so highly summarised – conveniently agreed between the Department and County Managers) and real meaningful power to change things.

    To make this happen, people need availability of relevant information as a matter of routine (e.g. more dis-aggregated accounts, where key information is not “buried” in programme spending summaries), a proper management system with clear lines of delegated authority / accountability and more involvement with long and short term spending by local elected representatives and the community.


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