Rise of Independents - New era for political democracy

Whoever takes over the reins as Labour leader will have his or her work cut out to reboot a party that has all but flatlined. But that is not the full story of what happened in the local and European elections.

The rise of Sinn Féin and the demise of Labour has masked the mixed fortunes of Fine Gael which has every reason to be fearful of an angry electorate in the general election in two years’ time. That, of course, assumes that the current administration will run its course, which it may not. It has also, to some extent, clouded the rise of independents and non-party candidates among our body politic. Is this the death of the party system as we know it? It may well be.

While alliances have already been forged among independents and are likely to increase, the strict three-line whip system used by the pillar parties is dead and gone. You cannot be thrown out of a movement or an alliance but, as the likes of Lucinda Creighton knows, you can be kicked out of a parliamentary party.