We cannot be afraid to vote for reform

THE urgent need to reform how we conduct our public affairs has been recognised by anyone committed to the evolving enterprise we call the Republic of Ireland.

That change in how this Republic is run comes dripping so very slowly is one of the reasons political life is at such a low ebb.

Unless it rejuvenates itself the dangerous disconnect between parliament, its functions and citizens will continue apace, ultimately disenfranchising all of us making our democracy more ineffective than it already is.

Our Government was given a very strong mandate to impose reform across society and unless that transpires we will have no one to blame but ourselves for the consequences. Next week we will vote in two referendums proposing reform.

One will focus on the imperative to treat all public employees on an equal footing. The issue on hand is judges’ pay and the ability of the Government to manage it to reflect economic circumstances and pay cuts imposed elsewhere.

Those who oppose entrusting Government with this moderate power suggest it will undermine the independence of our courts by making it possible to intimidate a judge by threatening to cut pay.

If our judges, those who stand between us and the drug gangs and republican terrorists, are so easily cowed then we are in far greater trouble than we thought. If those appointed to the bench are of such feeble character then it is a wonder that anyone at all is sent to jail or even convicted. Though our judges are amongst the best paid in the world they would rightly resent the suggestion that they would put money, even their own, before the proper administration of justice.

The second referendum is about our parliament’s ability to establish the facts of a given situation, be it a failure of administration, the suggestion of corruption on the part of a public representative or employee or any other issue deemed in the public interest. In other words properly understand the society the parliament is expected to administer. It’s really as simple, as rational as that.

We have a long history of ineffective and outrageously expensive inquiries whose primary achievements seem to be the deepening of cynicism around to our ability — or intention — to hold criminals to account and the enrichment of members of the legal profession. We urgently need an alternative to allow our parliament, like nearly every other parliament in the civilised world, come to conclusions that can be regarded as fact. How else can we hope to understand and prevent the failures so apparent all around us? If we cannot trust our parliamentarians to do this honestly and objectively we are voting for the wrong people.

If the changes we will vote on next week are endorsed and subsequently prove ineffective, open to abuse or just unworkable they can be changed. That is how law evolves. If the power those changes might confer is misused then we — everyone with a vote in this Republic — retain the right to remove from office those who would abuse it at the next election. Ask Brian Cowen, ask John Gormley, ask anyone whose political career ended in ignominy last February if you doubt that.

This society must eventually trust itself to embrace real change or forever go around in ever-decreasing circles of despair and failure. We must show ourselves capable of reform and, at this very challenging moment, that may be the greatest need of all.