Ireland does not have too many politicians, but too few councillors

A Leavy says that Ireland “has more politicians, relative to its population, than comparable countries” (Irish Examiner, Letters, March 22). Why is this canard repeated ad nauseam?

It is true that European countries of a similar size to Ireland have fewer national politicians than we do, but this is because they have vast, powerful, and well-funded systems of local government, which we do not.

Denmark, for example, has 98 local authorities and 2,500 local councillors. Finland has 304 local authorities and 10,000 local councillors. And Norway has 423 local authorities and 12,000 local councillors. Ireland, in stark contrast, has 32 local authorities and 950 councillors.