United Ireland governing system

dublincc2

I believe that in a united Ireland scenario the position of the presidency and the entire governing structure needs to be completely reformed. My suggestions are:

1. Reform the presidency into an executive role. The president is the head of state and of government simultaneously, like in the US but not exactly the same. The office of Taoiseach and Tánaiste are abolished and subsumed by the president. The president to be elected every five years with maximum of two terms. The president oversees the cabinet and is able to appoint and dismiss ministers. They can also issue executive orders. The president can also appoint one or more vice presidents, perhaps one of the two vice presidents being from the Protestant community in Ulster.
2. Scrap the Seanad.
3. The Dáil moves from Leinster House to the old building on College Green. Number of members increased to 250. The Dáil has legislative power to override executive orders made by the president. Group leaders are in charge of TDs taking the place of Taoiseach/leader of opposition with the Ceann Comhairle being a senior figure in the government.
4. Increase autonomy for local councils. Have mayors/council leaders act as essentially provincial governors although Ireland remaining a unitary state with a capital in Dublin.
5. Regional forums for each of the four provinces based in Armagh, Dublin, Cork and Galway. No return to Stormont under any circumstances. Turn the Stormont buildings into a hotel, a museum of partition or blow it up in a controlled demolition and build houses on the site.

Podge_irl

Why?

Ardillaun

There’s an armada of things to be decided. If it ever happens I hope we don’t simply go with everything we have down here but pick the better policy between the two, e.g. UK rights to roam the countryside. In the end I suspect we’ll have nothing done when it happens and will be forced to leave them in limbo in a pseudo-federal system as they are up there for a decade or two.

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058306438/united-ireland-governing-system

Well I agree that there should be an overall assembly of some sort. But I'd abolish all the local authorities as they currently are and replace with five regional bodies: Ulster (inc Donegal, Cavan & Monaghan), Leinster, Connacht, Munster and Greater Dublin (the four current LAs that make up Dublin). Each elected and directly administrating their region. With an additional overall elected body, who would rotate sitting in each of the five regional HQs. A federal type system if you like, with the national body responsible for primary legislation, security, revenue and so on. The regional bodies to be funded from above with additional capacity for local taxes to be spent regionally.

dublincc2

There are some drawbacks to giving the president so much power, for example as we saw with Trump inexperienced people in high office is risky business. If Conor McGregor is elected president for example, which TBH might actually happen someday, there would need to be a lot of parliamentary actions and judicial oversight.

Geuze

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120896380#Comment_120896380

There are already very few LA in Ireland.

You want to reduce that number to 5.

ELM327

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058306438/united-ireland-governing-system

No. What a silly idea. Where do I even start? Why would we replicate the US system over here. Ours actually works.

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120898446#Comment_120898446

There's 31 local authorities I think in the Republic, not sure how many equivalent up North. Far too many borders between all these.

Geuze

Yes, 31 now, there were 114 until 2014.

There was a massive cut in the number of LA in 2014.

dublincc2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120898469#Comment_120898469

You can start with the fact that our presidency is an absolute joke and a waste of money. It’s basically a role to fulfil the duties that would be undertaken by the British monarch. An elected equivalent of the king, but much more pitiful.

All of Ireland’s presidents have been crap and completely unremarkable, with the singular exception of Mary McAleese. Also they have all been people that nobody had ever heard of that were plucked from the back row of Irish politics (all of them except for De Valera were nobodies). Michael D is harmless but he’s also pointless and aimless. He’s cringeworthy.

The next presidential election is probably going to be won by Bertie Ahern, and when he’s done it will probably be Conor McGregor. At least in the case of the former there is experience, but also the capacity for political chancers to get in for publicity.

The president should have real executive power and have be the key person in Irish politics instead of the pen-pushing waste of money the Irish president is today.

Hermy

Mary Robinson is far from unremarkable.

And Michael D. Higgins is far from a nobody.

Hotblack Desiato

The next presidential election is probably going to be won by Bertie Ahern, and when he’s done it will probably be Conor McGregor.

You think this, and you want to give the presidency more power?

We have it exactly right at the moment. The role of the presidency is to uphold the constitution not just act as a rubber stamp for the government (like those UK monarchs you mentioned) even while performing illegal acts like proroguing parliament.

Furze99

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120899208#Comment_120899208

That's a helluva lot of borders. And yes there are borders between local authorities as anyone who lives near one is all too well aware of. Roads fixed one side, potholes the other. School transport buses that can't cross the invisible line. Bin collections, even health services. Far too many borders in the this wee country. Abolish them and replace with 5 regional authorities.

Geuze

The LA do not run school transport.

Bins are privatised, nothing to do with LA.

HSE borders are nothing directly to do with LA.

Jazz Hands

I would just like to chime in to say I don't any idea what a United Ireland would look like.

Where do the politicians even start the conversation?

It would essentially be a brand new country as the North is not joining the south and visa versa.

Geuze

Yes, a new country. Not a takeover.

Could you call it a merger?

A new State.

I presume that would mean:

a new flag

a new constitution?

a new parliament?

dublincc2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120900843#Comment_120900843

There should only be 39 councils. 32 counties + Dublin/Belfast/Cork/Derry/Limerick city councils. Get rid of the three Dublin councils and bring back Dublin County Council.

Kilkenny, Armagh and Waterford to be city and county councils. Galway isn’t legally a city so gets merged as one Galway county council.

dublincc2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120900780#Comment_120900780

Yes I do. Someone with experience and someone with real political responsibility.

Jazz Hands

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120900957#Comment_120900957

Maybe even a new capital?

dublincc2

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120900600#Comment_120900600

Mary Robinson was a joke. Ran away from office for a seat at the UN.

Higgins wasn’t known to most people outside of politics, and even then was just some cringe lefty activist that was hard to take seriously.

We need a president who has real power and responsibility.

Jazz Hands

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120901057#Comment_120901057

Why?

Geuze

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120901012#Comment_120901012

CSO definition:

Galway is a city.

dublincc2

It was never given city status though letters patent. It’s a town.

GSBellew

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058306438/united-ireland-governing-system

Why would you include an automatic role based on religion ?

If we had an automatic Vice President from the Protestant community, we would need one from the Catholic community too, then we have the Travelling community, the Pastafarian's and so on, it would be a never ending list.

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120900957#Comment_120900957

The GFA provides for none of the above, just the transfer of NI from state A to state B.

I couldn't give a fiddlers for our anthem which is by convention sung in a language it was not written in, 90+% of people don't know the words of, and is militaristic anyway, but the tricolour, the flag which symbolises peace and republicanism (in the anti-monarchical sense) is non-negotiable, and would be a massive mistake to give up as if we did it'd just become the emblem of republican hardliners - giving back to them ownership of it which Jack Charlton went to such effort to win back...

Peregrinus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120901038#Comment_120901038

Nothing in your proposal requires that the President should have any relevant experience at all, and you don't make him responsible to anybody except for a single instant, at the end of his first term, when he has to face the electorate if he wants a second term. Unlike the Taoiseach, he wouldn't be accountable to, or require the confidence of, Dáil Éireann.

I think you're setting up the potential of a deadlock between the President and the Oireachtas, each with their own independent electoral mandate, and I can't see what advantages you think will accrue from this system.

Not sure why you are proposing "one or more vice-presidents" when the vice-presidents don't seem to have any powers or functions.

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120901038#Comment_120901038

So neither of those two grasping clowns then.

Giving so much power to one individual is risky. What is the benefit? If this is in prospect for a united Ireland I will be voting No for certain, I don't want to be ruled by an elected SF dictator.

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120901792#Comment_120901792

Why do you care what a UK monarch did or didn't do? Is that your basis for the governance of Ireland going forward?

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120901822#Comment_120901822

Exactly, we need to run religion out of politics once and for all rather than give certain ones special status.

Podge_irl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120901792#Comment_120901792

It was given city status through an Act of the Oireachtas which is infinitely more relevant.

Musicrules

It's a really exciting time with loads of opportunities for us all. New ideas, new systems, ways of doing things. It should be open for all to make suggestions as we move forward as 1. It's actually a chance to make a fresh start, make positive steps to ensure a prosperous future for all our people. There's no rush. We have time to discuss and plan our reunification. It's important to get it right. Once complete though, it will be an incredible day and time for Ireland.