1 week Ago
Elections are all about choices and about distinguishing one from the other. Should voters not see much to set one party apart from the next, we ought not be too surprised at their lack of engagement. But the process of deciding on who should be running the country ought not to be based on a personality contest.
It has been predicted that the death of democracy is less likely to be an assassination from an ambush, but more by the way of a slow extinction from apathy. George Bush Sr once startled a reporter with his candour, saying: “I’ll be glad to reply to or dodge your questions, depending on what I think will help our election most.” So far, there has been very little to startle or even stir in the election for the 34th Dáil.
To be fair to our politicians, they are trying. The policy documents are coming thick and fast, and party leaders are careering around the country, trying to ignite campaigns. Perhaps the kindling is still a little damp or maybe the dank evenings are too dark.
Whatever the reason, so far there’s no sign of the usual spark to fire public interest. However, disengagement from the process, no matter how disconnected people may feel, is not the answer. History shows government tends to be at its worst when people switch off.
But it’s fair to say at this point that no party or individual has really taken the national imagination by storm. All have presented plans for carrying the country forward, but apart from some snarky sniping and a mild exchange of brick bats, a full-blooded battle for hearts and minds has scarcely broken out. Sinn Féin has set its sights on housing, believing the Government is exposed on both flanks on the issue.
It has pledged to build 370,000 homes by 2030, whereas Fine Gael has a target of 300,000. The Labour Party has looked hard at how best to protect renters who are trying to absorb a 7.2pc annual rise in costs.
The Social Democrats are also looking in this direction, with the intention of introducing a renter’s charter. While the Greens are looking at how best to tackle vacant and derelict properties and ensure they return to our housing stock. All of these issues matter and are worthy of attention.
We have been talking about addressing our housing emergency for far too long and it’s time to do something about it. But it is naive to expect more of our public representatives if we are not prepared to engage more with them ourselves. Election pledges ought not to be just about delivering value for voters in the heat of the moment, there needs to be long-term benefits for our country.
Sure, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. And of course, any election can be cynically dismissed as just a fleeting snapshot of a specific instance in a country’s political life. But we also need to remember our democracy works best when we’re all included in the picture.
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