Considering a career in Politics?

TheBiz

Hi all, I'm 17 currently in 5th year and I've been thinking of a career in politics for some time now.
I'm not a big fan of the 'you scratch my back I'll scratch yours' idea but I do find politics interesting, I would like the possibility of being able to make a substantial contribution (hopefully for the better!)

My teachers would consider myself as being quite good at abstract problem solving. Not in the mathematical sense but more so in lines of the socio-Economic side of geography (my teacher suggested I look into a job in the areas of socio-eco/human side of geography)

The truth is I don't know what jobs or courses are involved in this, I was thinking possibily economics or else I also was considering studying political science and law or political science and geography both at Trinity College.

Truthfully speaking I'm only Im the toddler stages of this train of thought.
Career wise I was also looking at the possibility of working in government or within the European Union

BoJack Horseman

Consider Economics, languages & political science.

Domestically, you can join a party, work with them & maybe get a paid position at some point.

Though parties source much of their policy data & ideas from consultants.

Working at the EU may be more fruitful.

TheBiz

BoJack Horseman wrote: »

Consider Economics, languages & political science.

Domestically, you can join a party, work with them & maybe get a paid position at some point.

Though parties source much of their policy data & ideas from consultants.

Working at the EU may be more fruitful.

And how would you go about a career working at the EU?

RomanKnows

The Shinners will pay you 25c per post or comment made on social media if you agree to toe the party line and defend the actions of some of their more 'colourful' members.

Could keep a lad in rollies and cans of Karpackie if he was stuck for a few bob.

BoJack Horseman

TheBiz wrote: »

And how would you go about a career working at the EU?

You kids with your crystal meth & your orgies.... you'll never find the time to Google anything!

http://www.eurobrussels.com

http://europa.eu/about-eu/working-eu-institutions/index_en.htm

Sand

Honestly, I find the whole concept of a "career in politics" as extremely corrosive to representative politics. Politics works best when it is of the people, by the people, for the people to borrow a phrase. As opposed to of a political class, by a political class, for the people (nominally).

Politics ought to be an amateur profession, and term limits ought to be strictly enforced to ensure this occurs.

BoJack Horseman

Sand wrote: »

Honestly, I find the whole concept of a "career in politics" as extremely corrosive to representative politics.

Politics requires human input.
Its pretty labour intensive.

Can you advise what is so evil about someone taking an interest in working in it?

Working in politics/government requires a lot of effort; research, history, legal knowledge, economic acumen, knowledge of societies & human psychology. There is a lot there.

I can't see any of it being insidious as you seem?

Jawgap

Go to Uni and get involved with student politics. It'll sharpen you're debating and communication skills.

After Uni, travel and build a career in some area of endeavour other than politics, while remaining involved with a party of your choice.

Get involved in the local party and look to take on roles such as local treasurer, secretary etc - it gets you involved and helps build the network you'll need.

Sand

BoJack Horseman wrote: »

Politics requires human input.
Its pretty labour intensive.

Can you advise what is so evil about someone taking an interest in working in it?

Working in politics/government requires a lot of effort; research, history, legal knowledge, economic acumen, knowledge of societies & human psychology. There is a lot there.

I can't see any of it being insidious as you seem?

I did.

If the guy wants to work in the civil service, fine - that's a profession. But a career politician? No, that creates a political class which becomes so entirely distant to the people that they require consultants, focus groups, surveys and polls as they struggle to govern these knuckle dragging morons who insist on voting for the wrong option. There's a huge amount of total contempt for the Irish voter from the politically interested and motivated who post on these forums. This political class is going to represent the Irish people?

Hasn't been going so well.

BoJack Horseman

Sand wrote: »

I did.

Great, but I think the guy was asking about working in politics.... Not running for office.

(And what is a career politician other than a popular politician?)

TheBiz

Sand wrote: »

I did.

If the guy wants to work in the civil service, fine - that's a profession. But a career politician? No, that creates a political class which becomes so entirely distant to the people that they require consultants, focus groups, surveys and polls as they struggle to govern these knuckle dragging morons who insist on voting for the wrong option. There's a huge amount of total contempt for the Irish voter from the politically interested and motivated who post on these forums. This political class is going to represent the Irish people?

Hasn't been going so well.

Nobody ever said I intend on copying those who have gone before me, I want to go into politics for a reformation, there needs to be a change and I want to impliment one.

Sand

TheBiz wrote: »

Nobody ever said I intend on copying those who have gone before me, I want to go into politics for a reformation, there needs to be a change and I want to impliment one.

Yeah, and that warms a cynics heart like mine, but Bertie Ahern probably said the same thing.

laoch na mona

RomanKnows wrote: »

The Shinners will pay you 25c per post or comment made on social media if you agree to toe the party line and defend the actions of some of their more 'colourful' members.

Could keep a lad in rollies and cans of Karpackie if he was stuck for a few bob.

if this was any bit true I wouldn't be struggling through college

gandalf

Sand wrote: »

Honestly, I find the whole concept of a "career in politics" as extremely corrosive to representative politics. Politics works best when it is of the people, by the people, for the people to borrow a phrase. As opposed to of a political class, by a political class, for the people (nominally).

Politics ought to be an amateur profession, and term limits ought to be strictly enforced to ensure this occurs.

Absolutely and totally agree with you on this Sand. Representatives should be limited to a maximum of three terms.

Annasopra

TheBiz wrote: »

Nobody ever said I intend on copying those who have gone before me, I want to go into politics for a reformation, there needs to be a change and I want to impliment one.

what do you want to reform?

TheBiz

Joeytheparrot wrote: »

what do you want to reform?

The educational system, I don't believe your ability to rote learn or learn what you dislike should have implications on your ability to get into a course on wnt you do like.
Finland have the best education system in the world, and although it might not be as easy as changing a tire, I believe it could be modified and used in Ireland.
And I'm not saying that as someone who is doing poorly in school and needs to vent.

I see Ireland as floating when we should be sailing..

Jesus Wept

You've got the patter down anyway.
Become a teacher, all politicians were teachers.

_Kaiser_

gandalf wrote: »

Absolutely and totally agree with you on this Sand. Representatives should be limited to a maximum of three terms.

Yep, and we should reduce those terms to 4 years max with parties/independents limited to a maximum of 2 consecutive terms in government.

I turn 40 this year. Enda Kenny has been sitting in the Dail for as long as I've been alive and what has he achieved or done for his country? He "inherited" his seat from his father with nothing more than a few years primary school teaching to qualify him for it - you could in fact argue that he's been a drain on the public purse since he started working.

I heard recently that he has never actually brought a bill forward himself (stand to be corrected on that one) but if true then why is he there beyond to collect a paycheque.

He's not the only one of course. There are generations of family dynasties in our parliament who "pass down" their seat to their offspring who in many cases themselves have no real experience to offer.

The whole idea of "career politicians" needs to end if we're to ever see real change in this country BUT just as important is that the electorate wakes up to their responsibilities as well and stops voting for these people based on nothing more than name recognition or parochial gombeenism.

MouseTail

TheBiz wrote: »

The educational system, I don't believe your ability to rote learn or learn what you dislike should have implications on your ability to get into a course on wnt you do like.
Finland have the best education system in the world, and although it might not be as easy as changing a tire, I believe it could be modified and used in Ireland.

..

Why do you think the Finnish system is the best in the world, what would you like to take from it and implement here? I say that as someone who sees merit in their system, but believes in many ways our own system is better.
They have an equivalent point system as ours, although it kicks in younger. We have a lower unemployment rate, a lower early school leaving rate, and a higher progression to college rate.
You will face challenges like this, arguments like these you will have to flesh out and really examine if you want to pursue a career in politics.

IrishTrajan

_Kaiser_ wrote: »

The whole idea of "career politicians" needs to end if we're to ever see real change in this country BUT just as important is that the electorate wakes up to their responsibilities as well and stops voting for these people based on nothing more than name recognition or parochial gombeenism.

The problem is not with the person sitting, it is with the people voting. To quote de Maistre "Every country gets the Government it deserves". People should exercise their democratic rights, don't blame the people in charge, blame the morons who keep voting for them.

gandalf wrote: »

Absolutely and totally agree with you on this Sand. Representatives should be limited to a maximum of three terms.

What if the person actually does good for the people?

Say someone fixes the health service, and welfare reforms, he brings Ireland to a new level of prosperity and does everything right. Should he really not be allowed to run again, to be replaced by a moron who could ruin it?

Fixed terms can help or hinder the system. But if someone messes up, the chance of them being elected a second time is pretty low. If someone does well, why should they stopped and told to feck off?

Sand wrote: »

Politics works best when it is of the people, by the people, for the people to borrow a phrase.

A shame that the man who said that was a white supremacist and didn't believe blacks were equals to whites.

hatrickpatrick

RomanKnows wrote: »

The Shinners will pay you 25c per post or comment made on social media if you agree to toe the party line and defend the actions of some of their more 'colourful' members.

Could keep a lad in rollies and cans of Karpackie if he was stuck for a few bob.

There's ample evidence that the government and the Gardai are also doing this. Who knows who's money they're using either.

If you insist on going there in a thread which has nothing to do with it...

sheesh

Sand wrote: »

I did.

If the guy wants to work in the civil service, fine - that's a profession. But a career politician? No, that creates a political class which becomes so entirely distant to the people that they require consultants, focus groups, surveys and polls as they struggle to govern these knuckle dragging morons who insist on voting for the wrong option. There's a huge amount of total contempt for the Irish voter from the politically interested and motivated who post on these forums. This political class is going to represent the Irish people?

Hasn't been going so well.

you know I sort of agree with you because you see politicians that have been there for years. Politics is a team game but a single TD does not make much of a contribution It is governments that change policy and it is experienced politicians that do good negotiations on our behalf in the larger world. Amateurs however well meaning can feck things up royally not seeing something blatantly obvious to a seasoned pro. I think professional politicians are pretty much a necessary evil.

Sand

sheesh wrote: »

Amateurs however well meaning can feck things up royally not seeing something blatantly obvious to a seasoned pro.

But experienced politicians presided over Ireland walking blindly into a brick wall from 2003 onwards, culminating in a dumb decision in September 2008. Experienced politicians trumpeted a 2012 "game changer" deal with the EU that actually amounted to nothing at all. I'm only an amateur posting to a message board and I could spot nobody had promised anything of significance to Ireland. And the second group of lads had the benefit of having learnt lessons from the mistake of the first group of clowns.

I'd acknowledge the argument for experience if it was in anyway supported by evidence, but it isn't. Good government occurs because of people *thinking* about good governance and building structures and restrictions that lead to good governance, like term limits.

A golden rule for good governance is the the whole outcome should not be dependant on the individual quality of TDs. In Ireland, we seem to hang our hopes on "strongman" type leaders like they do in third world dictatorships. We get about the same results...am I being that radical in suggesting that we need to do something different?

MightyMandarin

TheBiz wrote: »

Career wise I was also looking at the possibility of working in government or within the European Union

If you're looking to have any career in the EU the best thing you can do is get fluent in at least 1 foreign language. How's your Irish? If you have good Irish, there are plenty of jobs in the EU, considering that every piece of EU legislation has to be translated.

Any degree will suit you well too. Most of our TD's are former teachers, but I really wish more Ministers had proper education in the depts. they oversee.

Son Of A Vidic

Sand wrote: »

Honestly, I find the whole concept of a "career in politics" as extremely corrosive to representative politics. Politics works best when it is of the people, by the people, for the people to borrow a phrase. As opposed to of a political class, by a political class, for the people (nominally).

Politics ought to be an amateur profession, and term limits ought to be strictly enforced to ensure this occurs.

I agree and hence the reason why Ireland remains largely bereft of genuine politicians. We have just way too many self-serving careerists.

MightyMandarin

Corvus Maximus wrote: »

I agree and hence the reason why Ireland remains largely bereft of genuine politicians. We have just way too many self-serving careerists.

We're not alone in this regard. In fact, I doubt there's a democracy in the world who doesn't experience this.

househero

Sand wrote: »

But experienced politicians presided over Ireland walking blindly into a brick wall from 2003 onwards, culminating in a dumb decision in September 2008. Experienced politicians trumpeted a 2012 "game changer" deal with the EU that actually amounted to nothing at all. I'm only an amateur posting to a message board and I could spot nobody had promised anything of significance to Ireland. And the second group of lads had the benefit of having learnt lessons from the mistake of the first group of clowns.

I'd acknowledge the argument for experience if it was in anyway supported by evidence, but it isn't. Good government occurs because of people *thinking* about good governance and building structures and restrictions that lead to good governance, like term limits.

A golden rule for good governance is the the whole outcome should not be dependant on the individual quality of TDs. In Ireland, we seem to hang our hopes on "strongman" type leaders like they do in third world dictatorships. We get about the same results...am I being that radical in suggesting that we need to do something different?

Politicians are not business people or know anything of economics.

Voters actively vote against business people thinking they are worse than career politician's

We voted for the morons from 2000 to now.

Eugene Norman

househero wrote: »

Politicians are not business people or know anything of economics.

Voters actively vote against business people thinking they are worse than career politician's

We voted for the morons from 2000 to now.

Businessmen don't know economics.

IrishTrajan

Eugene Norman wrote: »

Businessmen don't know economics.

They would understand the basics of micro-economics, at least.

Sand

househero wrote: »

Politicians are not business people or know anything of economics.

Voters actively vote against business people thinking they are worse than career politician's

We voted for the morons from 2000 to now.

The government gets the voters it deserves.

IrishTrajan wrote: »

They would understand the basics of micro-economics, at least.

You'd be surprised. Just because someone drives doesn't mean they know the rules of the road or the principles planning and constructing a road network.

Eugene Norman

Sand wrote: »

The government gets the voters it deserves.



You'd be surprised. Just because someone drives doesn't mean they know the rules of the road or the principles planning and constructing a road network.

Or because someone pumps petrol for a living he can talk about the macro economics of oil production.

MightyMandarin

Sand wrote: »

You'd be surprised. Just because someone drives doesn't mean they know the rules of the road or the principles planning and constructing a road network.

Well it's like with anything really, you can be a businessman, but whether you're a good businessman is an entirely different matter.

I'd imagine most successful businessmen would have, at the very least, some knowledge of economics, especially if they started as entrepreneurs.

davycc

RomanKnows wrote: »

The Shinners will pay you 25c per post or comment made on social media if you agree to toe the party line and defend the actions of some of their more 'colourful' members.

Could keep a lad in rollies and cans of Karpackie if he was stuck for a few bob.

FACT :rolleyes:

sheesh

Sand wrote: »

But experienced politicians presided over Ireland walking blindly into a brick wall from 2003 onwards, culminating in a dumb decision in September 2008. Experienced politicians trumpeted a 2012 "game changer" deal with the EU that actually amounted to nothing at all. I'm only an amateur posting to a message board and I could spot nobody had promised anything of significance to Ireland. And the second group of lads had the benefit of having learnt lessons from the mistake of the first group of clowns.

I'd acknowledge the argument for experience if it was in anyway supported by evidence, but it isn't. Good government occurs because of people *thinking* about good governance and building structures and restrictions that lead to good governance, like term limits.

A golden rule for good governance is the the whole outcome should not be dependant on the individual quality of TDs. In Ireland, we seem to hang our hopes on "strongman" type leaders like they do in third world dictatorships. We get about the same results...am I being that radical in suggesting that we need to do something different?

Sorry I am very late to this.
First of all the night of the bank Guarantee was a crisis and they made a bad decision (I am not minimising it was really bad). I am talking about more general day to day getting a policy through. there is nothing in your post that would suggest that a person of less political experience would have done better.

as for your Golden rule of governance we live in a democracy every adult has a vote every adult is allowed to put themselves forward for election.

We actually don't do 'strongman' we do 'cute hoors' which is also bad just less killing.

colosus1908

Politics seems cool, but to really make something out of it, you either have a good family line, money...like alot of it or have an outstanding oratory skills.
luck to you.