A letter to the President: We desperately need a politics that is more inclusive and responsive

Here’s your chance to insist that politics needs to change and that a published programme for government is a must, writes Fergus Finlay

DEAR President Higgins, You’re probably beginning to think already about what you should say to the Taoiseach when he comes to see you on March 10. And I’m probably one of the last people you want to hear from in advance of that visit. But I’m going to take my impertinence in my hand and offer you some advice anyway.

It hasn’t dawned on the pundits yet, although it will, but you will have an extraordinary and critical role to play after the Dáil meets. It happens very seldom in the life of a president, but it is going to happen to you. For a brief moment at least, and perhaps for longer, you’ll have the future of the country in your hands.

On March 10, as things stand, the Taoiseach will “cease to retain the support of a majority in Dáil Éireann”. Under Article 13.2.1 of the Constitution, that gives you absolute discretion about what to do next. The next sub-section of the article, 13.2.3, says that you may at any time, after consultation with the Council of State, convene a meeting of either, or both, of the Houses of the Oireachtas.

Those articles, in my humble opinion, were written precisely to deal with the situation that exists right now. We’ve had an indecisive general election. Already a sense of crisis is beginning to develop. The buzz word of the next few weeks is going to be stability. Already I’m hearing on the radio that the markets are going to be spooked, that bond yields will rise, that people will be less willing to lend to us. The editorial writers are sharpening their pencils to demand that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael bury their historical differences in the national interest.

Stability, stability, stability. Mother of God, President. We’ve had four stable governments in a row — 20 years of it — and would you look at us. Fifteen years of Bertie Ahern grew the economy by unsustainable tax cuts and spending increases, and ultimately destroyed the country. That was followed by five years of the biggest majority in the history of the state. It restored the economy, but badly divided our society.

President, we don’t need a stable government. We need an honest, open, and accountable government. We need a government that’s created, in the open, by the whole Dáil and answerable to the whole Dáil.

You and I both worked in an era in politics where government wasn’t “stable” — where politicians knew every day that an election could happen any day. Then politicians got used to the idea of “stable” five-year terms, and very high incomes for not doing a lot. The consequence was that gradually they grew further and further and further from the people they represented.

My sense is that the people are sick of it. Sick of politics as is, sick of broken promises, sick of being lectured to, sick of choices being made that seem to have no impact — or a negative impact — on their personal lives, sick of government that always seems beholden to powerful vested interests, sick of a style that constantly suggests arrogance and a sense of “we know best”, sick of a politics that seems to have no value base to it.

Sure, Fianna Fáil had a wonderful election this time, fair play to them. But they won a lot of seats by default, by being in the right place at the right time. They can certainly lay claim to more of a mandate than either of the government parties — Labour has no mandate at all, just a stern message from the electorate to rediscover itself.

The worst thing that could happen now, the very worst thing, would be some grubby deal to parachute people into office for another “stable” and unaccountable five years. I’m suggesting you can stop that, by making it clear after March 10 that you want to see open and public debate.

We’ve just fought an election campaign about two issues — who could provide stable government, and who could offer the largest tax cuts. The RTÉ exit poll published on Saturday showed that stable government was a “top-of-mind” issue for 9% of the electorate, and tax cuts mattered to a measly 5%. In fact the poll showed that half the people would be willing to pay more for better services, while only about one in six wanted the government to cut taxes and spend less.

That’s how badly the political system as a whole (with the honourable exception of the Social Democrats) misread the mood of the electorate.

So here’s what we need.

First, an acknowledgement by each of the main party leaders that politics needs to change fundamentally. Second, a commitment by the Taoiseach that the resources of the Department of Finance and the ESRI will be made available to any party that wants to publish a programme for government.

Then any party that wants to lead the next government should be required to do exactly that — publish a programme for government. Not a secret document, but published for scrutiny and debate. It doesn’t need to be an attempt to deliver on the vast array of promises made in advance of the election, but an honest and sober attempt to set out directions for the future.

I honestly believe that any programme for government written now must recognise that there are priorities that come before tax cuts. In a country that has a lot of resources, but a shamefully high rate of child poverty, it simply makes no sense to have been offering to narrow the tax base as the larger parties have done.

As a citizen and a member of a political party, I could well see myself arguing that my party should support a programme for government in the Dáil, and as a result vote for a taoiseach. I consider it crucial that the party should seek no office in return for that, and should reserve the right to disagree — and vote against the government — on any issue of principle.

If others took a similar view, we might, you know, end up with a minority government, a government that will have to persuade the Dáil week after week that it is on the right course. That in itself will mean that the relationship between parliament and government will have to change fundamentally. That could only be good.

Your old sparring partner Michael McDowell used to say — and it used to really annoy you — that a good dollop of inequality was essential. Well, here’s a thought. A dollop of instability would do no harm for our politics. A minority government that lived on its wits, and that had to recognise the primacy of parliament, could well last a year or two. They might even discover that the way to bring stability is to instil new respect by being open, honest, and accountable every day.

That wouldn’t be just refreshing, it would be good for a democracy that is becoming corroded by cynicism every day. We desperately need a politics that is more inclusive and responsive, and I’m delighted that you’re going to be in a position to influence moves in that direction.

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