Menu
Ireland's political and cultural magazine
Niall Crowley
just of the ,
Dáil seats filled since . This total of .%
of all Dáil seats provides one demonstration
of the homogeneity of our political class. This
is a homogeneity that stretches beyond gen-
der. There are few working class people, peo-
ple with disabilities, Black and minority ethnic
people, gay and lesbian people or people from
religious minorities that have taken Dáil seats.
This homogeneity does not serve democracy.
This homogeneity is documented by
Michael Gallagher in his book How Ireland
Voted 2007. He points out that % of TDs
were pursuing a professional occupation
before entering the Dáil. of the current TDs
worked in education – an extraordinary %
of the Dáil. He calculates that % of TDs have
a commercial background in small business
such as auctioneers, shopkeepers or publicans.
Nine per cent of TDs are farmers and very few
have a background as manual workers. The dif-
ficulty of challenging this homogeneity under
the current electoral system is evident in his
calculation that the candidates with at least
some elective status fare significantly better
than those with none.
We need a new model of social and eco-
nomic development with a capacity to bring us
out of the economic recession and to advance
equality and inclusion for all groups in soci-
ety. The homogeneity of the current political
class does not enable creativity, innovation,
or the search for such an alternative. The
dominant political class shows no appetite or
capacity to bring forward such a new model of
development. There is, therefore, a challenge
to reform our political system and draw in a
political class from a wider range of sources.
This new political system would achieve
a diversity of representation and partici-
pation that encompassed all social classes,
women and men, all ethnic groups, people
with disabilities and other minorities. It will
clearly need to draw from new sources for
its membership.
The community sector has traditionally
been averse to party politics. The community
sector could offer politicians drawn from
groups experiencing inequality, poverty and
unemployment with an expertise and a value
base that would be valuable in devising and
implementing this new model of social and
economic development. There are already
some members of the Oireachtas drawn from
this pool. Dan Boyle, for example, was a com-
munity youth worker in Munster, Maureen
O’ Sullivan (like Tony Gregory was) is deeply
embedded in north inner city community
groups in Dublin, and Frances Fitzgerald was
chairperson of the National Women’s Council
of Ireland.
The trade unions have a tradition of party
political engagement. The trade union sec-
tor could offer politicians who would bring an
important set of values and an experience in
fighting for employment standards for work-
ing class people to the task of establishing a new
model of social and economic development. The
trade union sector already provides the current
leader of the Labour Party and his predecessor.
Pat Rabbitte and Eamon Gilmore were both
trade union officials with ITGWU (now SIPTU).
Senator Joe O’Toole once headed the Irish
National Teachers’ Organisation Union. The
environment sector would be a source of
politicians with a capacity to underpin the
environmental sustainability of the new
model of development. Ciarán Cuffe with a
previous involvement in Students Against
the Destruction of Dublin, and Arthur
Morgan who was a founder of the Cooley
Environmental and Health Action Committee
are current exemplars.
Academia is a sector that has largely con-
fined itself to playing advisory roles for a
range of political parties. There are people in
academia who have developed a knowledge
base that would be invaluable for shaping this
new model of development. Ivana Bacik and
David Norris are two effective senators with
origins in academia. Garret Fitzgerald brought
his academic’s feeling for economics to the cab-
inet table. Mary Robinson, also drawn from
academia (and the campaigning Bar), captured
in her presidency the transformative potential
in these new sources for the political class.
The political parties which have espoused
equality and sought to bring forward a more
equal society through
their party programmes
and policy work would
provide experienced pol-
iticians around which to
build this new political
class. This would include
the Labour Party, Sinn
Féin and the Green Party.
These political parties
would bring their tradi-
tion and experience in representative politics
and, in some cases, in the business of govern-
ance, to the challenge of creating a new model
of development
Is it wishful to think that the political sys-
tem could be reformed to bring forward this
new political class and that this diversity
of sectors could overcome past divisions to
give coherent political leadership? This chal-
lenge has to be met if we are to secure a more
equal and sustainable society. These differ-
ent sectors could begin to meet this challenge
by now building alliances now, to develop a
shared agenda for this new model of social
and economic development.
Niall Crowley is a former CEO of the Equality Authority.
“…54% of TDs were pursuing
a professional occupation
before entering the Dáil”
village_oct_09.indd 9 27/10/2009 15:37:33
