14May 2015
I
INTERVIEWED Catherine
Murphy, Independent TD for Kil-
dare North, in a sunny Dáil coffee
shop on May th. She was accom-
panied by her advisor Anne
Marie McNally. They were both friendly,
informed and irreverent. Though she
was due on the Ray D’Arcy show Cather-
ine Murphy appeared relaxed. She used
the term “we” a lot, rarely “I”.
I asked her how she would describe
her political philosophy. “I’m in the
centre, which has shifted, a social dem-
ocratic. I believe in a more equal
society, good public services. I’m pas-
sionate about good-quality institutions.
We’ve never been good at institution-
building. I’m an admirer of [Aneurin]
Bevan [who spearheaded Britain’s post-
war National Health System]. He said:
“the whole point of power is to give it
away”. You’d be picking up bits of
Chomsky”.
So how important is equality and
what does she mean by it? “It’s equality
of outcome very definitely. Great levels
of inequality preceded all the great
crashes. I’m not saying things should be
perfectly equal”. I push her as to how
much inequality is acceptable and she
says that’s a harder question than she
can answer. “The idea of bankers not
getting out of bed for half a million a
year is on the Richter scale end of it. In
Switzerland they’d a referendum to ban
anyone earning thirteen times anyone
else. I’d go lower”. She won’t say how
much lower. “It can’t be in the begrudg-
ery area if someone has spent a lot of
money and a long time and become
expert. But the returns can’t be so great
as to be offensive”.
What’s the first thing she’d do if she
were Taoiseach? “Who said I wanted to
be Taoiseach? I so don’t. My political
priorities are widespread. For example,
on this island we’ve got to deepen
democracy, put institutions in place
based on subsidiarity. Regional govern-
ment is a must”. But national
development priorities can’t be scatter-
gun or ‘one for everyone in the
audience’. “We need three cities outside,
and as a counterbalance to Dublin:
Cork, Galway and to some extent Limer-
ick – competing. They need to attain a
critical mass for public services and
transport etc”. She says she has strong
ideas on planning, transport, transpar-
ency, institutional reform and
technolog y.
Why did she go into politics? “My
motivation was to change things. I’d
been moaning to the editor etc. There’s
no point moaning unless you’re willing
to step up to the plate and do some-
thing. The first time I was elected was
after the water charges campaign in the
early s. It can be both frustrating
and rewarding, probably more frustrat-
ing. I can be quite solitary. I like to do
my own research before I open my
mouth and that can be an asset – but it
can also be bad: You can do % of the
work and someone else gets % of the
credit. I’m at my best when I’m angry
but containing it”.
What does she think of the Labour
Party and its performance in govern-
ment? “I don’t notice them. I wish I did.
It looks like a Fine Gael government. A
huge disappointment. I was in them
[Labour] but it wasn’t a happy
experience”.
How has she fared in the technical
group (she’s its whip)? “We exploit it to
the maximum – private members time,
committees, speaking time. It critically
opens up the diversity in the group.
People may have expected more of a
coalition but we’re too diverse for that
ever to have been possible”.
Is she interested in a new political
party? “I don’t dismiss that though I
value and am comfortable with my inde-
pendence. I wouldn’t like to be
controlled by a press office. The person
you elect should be who you see in Par-
liament. Put it this way I am talking to
people, though nothing conclusive. A
number of things are happening. What’s
happening with the unions the other
day [a Mayday gathering of  politi-
cal, trade-union and community
activists organised by the Communica-
tions Workers Union in Dublin] is
particularly interesting. I was inter-
ested in the Podemos guy from Spain
there. You have to look at where the
people are, though you have to give
some leadership within that and have
an idea of what you want to achieve. I’ve
always seen the positive. I think this is a
great country, despite the political and
administrative institutions!”.
What was the alternative to austerity?
“I’m angry about the debt. Admittedly
She’s strong
ideas on
planning,
transport,
transparency,
institutional
reform and
technology
“
INTERVIEW Catherine Murphy, TD
Channelling anger
into questions,
and vision
Michael Smith interviews Catherine Murphy TD.
The country’s currently most popular TD is involved in
talks about a new political party on the Left