Rotten to the Core
Patrick Nulty
Riversdale CC, Dublin
The Irish political system
is in deep crisis. The shocking revelations about public representatives
at every level of the political system has led to public confidence our
democratic system reaching an all time low. This loss of confidence has
manifested itself in rapidly declining turnouts for national elections
and a growing tendency among those who do vote to choose maverick independents
rather than a political party.
There are a number of aspects
to the corrupt nature of the Irish political system, some of these are
historical and relate to the actual structure of our democratic system
while other factors are based on blatant acts of greed and deception on
the part of individuals.
The name of Charles J. Haughey
has become a personification of all that is wrong with Irish politics.
Haughey was a figure of controversy throughout his political life. In
the late sixties Haughey and Neil Blaney were removed from Jack Lynch's
government following accusations about their involvement in helping to
import arms for the Provisional IRA. While both men were subsequently
acquitted many questions still remain unanswered about this period of
Irish history.
Recent revelations regarding
Haughey's cosy relationship with Irish businessmen has cast a dark shadow
over the lavish lifestyle that Haughey enjoyed during his time in public
office. This injustice is made more pertinent when you consider the effects
of policies adopted by Haughey while in power. During the 80s he sanctioned
devastating cuts in spending on health and education which affected the
most vulnerable members of society i.e. children and the elderly. Yet,
the same man was pivotal to creating a variety of tax loopholes for big
business in order to satisfy the greed of a small number of people who
responded by funding his jetset lifestyle.
When Dick Spring said in Dail
Eireann in 1992 that Haughey was a "Cancer in Irish politics" the public
knew only a fraction of what had occurred through the years. It is also
worth noting that Mr. Spring himself showed that his moral indignation
was opportunistic rather than being based on ideological sincerity. When
in government he approved a tax amnesty that provided a convenient escape
for those who had not met their tax obligations to the state. What must
be accepted now is that the cancer of corruption has infected the entire
political system implicating the lowest county councillor right up to
the heart of government. While Ireland is far from being unique in this
regard there are certain dynamics in our democratic structure that foster
corrupting influences.
Among western democracies
Ireland is unique in that our political system is largely based on tribal
loyalties rather ideological debate. The artificial divide between Fianna
Fail and Fine Gael arising from the civil war era has lead to stagnation
in party politics and a well founded belief among the public that while
government's change, policies do not. The strong relationship both parties
have with the business community means that both are reluctant to introduce
policies that may be socially desirable but would reduce profits. While
largely staying free from allegations of direct corruption particularly
at local level the Labour party must accept a degree of guilt by association.
The party's willingness to participate in government with parties that
have differing ideological objectives means that Labour has never been
able to establish distinct message to the Irish electorate. It is significant
that Labour has achieved better electoral results following a spell in
opposition than when it had supported one for one of the larger conservative
parties.
The use of multi-seat constituencies
and the system of proportional representation by which our politicians
are elected also contribute to the dilution of our democratic system.
Politicians are forced to spend valuable time dealing with local issues
that fall more closely into the remit of county councillors. Competition
between rival candidates within political parties as well as between the
parties leads to a concentration on personality rather than policy. The
clientalist nature of Irish society means that the colloquial belief that
'who you know' is more important than 'what you know' can be said with
some conviction.
To conclude, the corruption
that has been exposed in Irish politics has its roots not only in the
unethical and immoral actions of individuals. It is also our democratic
system which has lead to a stifling of political debate and a belief that
personality takes precedent over ideological convictions and integrity
in public life.
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