The people have been robbed of democracy

This time of year the county councils in Ireland elect their new mayors. For one year sadly, the ordinary citizens are not allowed to vote for the first citizen as this is a closed shop, as only county councillors are let vote. This is cronyism and undemocratic.

The political parties at local government level block the ordinary man and woman on the street from directly voting yet the political establishment have the gall to call these sham elections democratic. In France, America and other countries the people elect the mayor, not so in Ireland.

The way Irish mayors are elected is like old-style communist governments of Eastern Europe, voted into office by their commissars and officials.

Some years ago the borough council in Sligo town was abolished by Phil Hogan, the then Local Government Minister and when this happened, it meant an end to the Mayor as only the borough council could elect the mayor of Sligo town.

Then the county council jumped the gun and said they would elect the mayor of Sligo even if they had neither the power nor the mandate.

Up to 1,300 people signed a petition in Sligo for the right to vote in our own mayor. The local government minister at the time rebuffed the idea. So much for the government listening to the people as their talk about local government reform was nothing but a lot of hot air.

Martin Ford

St Annes Terrace

Sligo