Democracy deferred by members of the cosy club

ISN’T it marvellous, the most fundamental plank of our democratic system is the right of the people in any constituency to a specified number of TDs.

While the Government may be taken to task for delaying a by-election for an unreasonable amount of time, ‘unreasonable’ is not defined.

The opposition, who are members of the same cosy club as the Government, proposed that a by-election must be held within... six months! Even this was too much for the Government. Surely the delay should be minimal — not longer than six weeks. Who needs a long by-election campaign? Ask your local TD what he or she thinks of this, making it clear the reply will determine how you vote.