Whenever Irish politicians fear the people they put democracy on ice

SINCE Dáil Éireann was established in 1919 there have been 125 by-elections. All but 11 of those were held within six months of the vacancy occurring. But the current Dáil has three vacancies, two of which are already more than six months old and the third well over a year and heading for a record delay.

The first by-election that was held after a six-month delay was a disputed vacancy in 1928. James Larkin, the first avowed communist elected to Dáil Eireann, was disqualified due to bankruptcy.

His case took some time to resolve as the opposition resisted efforts to call a by-election. Larkin had lost a libel case taken by the labour organiser William O’Brien in 1924, and he had refused to pay the costs, with the result that he was declared a bankrupt by the High Court that year.