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.