Fraud in the Dail

touts wrote: »

People often say we get the politicians we deserve. Why oh why are the people of Kerry voting for these people. Well they can only vote for the ones on the ballot paper. It doesn't matter how few people vote for them as long as they get a quota of what voted. Until we get a none of the above option we'll be stuck with the 3, 4 or 5 gob****es with the highest vote.

Sure the Healy-Raes will take 2-3 seats in the next election. They won't have any serious opposition. And Kerry isn't unique. Most constituencies have extremely uninspiring ballot papers. Take Tipperary for example. On the next ballot paper we'll have Mattie McGrath, Michael Lowery and Seamus Healy. Three of the worst gombeen independents you could find. And to compound things apparently both Mattie and Lowery are each thinking of running one of their children in the hope of taking another seat. Fianna Fail are running Jackie Cahill (who may well have died since the last election. He hasn't been seen in at least 3 years) and two gender quota female candidates who honest to God have less of a public profile than the possibly dead Cahill. Fine Gael are running Kate O'Connell's sister (who also happens to be Maria Bailey's bestie) on the basis that the elite rich Dublin set need another TD and she is the only one of them who may have visited Tipperary in the past (possibly on a school tour). And then finally we have Alan Kelly. Angry Alan is probably the best of them and certainly the only one likely to get a ministerial job in the next 20 years. But he is the kind of hot headed shoot from the hip lad I wouldn't trust to look after my goldfish nevermind my country. I'm sure we'll have another 4 or 5 single issue candidates and no hopers from the likes of SF Rise, SD, STD, KFC and whatever other splinter left parties pop up over the next few months.

So let's say some of that lot get caught up in the voting scandal or the expenses scandal or whatever the next TD scandal is that comes along. What difference will it make of they are the only names on the ballot paper. 5 of them will still get elected no matter what. Now read back through that list of names and think 5 of that lot are guaranteed seats in the Dail because they are the only names on the ballot. We need a none of the above option on the ballot paper where any candidate still unelected when "none of the above" gets enough votes to fill the remaining seats is automatically eliminated and they are then barred from running in the subsequent by-election to fill the vacant seats. Do that and parties will have to start to seek out and run the sort of quality candidates we deserve to have represent us.