Democracy audit - State boards must be transparent

In a comprehensive audit of Irish democracy, the Think-tank for Action on Social Change (TASC) notes that the health of a democracy is largely dependent on public satisfaction.

Better-off people tend to be more satisfied.

More than three-quarters of the people in the highest socioeconomic grouping believe that ordinary people can influence political decisions, compared with 59% of the lowest grouping. This belief is further reflected in people’s willingness to become politically active.

Ireland was ranked as one of the four wealthiest societies in a United Nations Development Programme survey in 2006, but it is also one of the most unequal. TASC concludes that this disparity represents a distinct failing in our democratic system.

This country has significantly higher than average poverty rates among the 25 member states of the European Union. Although investment in a range of public services has increased considerably, public spending has declined as a percentage of GDP.

State boards oversee our services. Hundreds of appointments are going to be made to those boards between now and the general election.

Those appointments should be made transparently on the basis of qualifications and commitment to public service, and should have nothing to do with the amount of money nominees contribute to government parties, individual politicians, or their friendships with any politicians.

Bertie Ahern said he did not appoint people in this way because they gave him money but because they were his friends. That is not good enough; it is no way to run our state services.