Paul Hosford: Is it too easy to get on the ballot paper in Ireland?

Counting in Ireland's European elections took far longer than most of our counterparts. Is it simply too easy to get your name on the ballot paper?

To be included in the European elections last week, you had to fulfil one of three criteria: be nominated by a registered political party, pay a deposit of €1,800 or obtain 60 signatures supporting your nomination from the public. Picture: Dan Linehan

If you've never been to a European election count, it's an incredible operation.

In Cork this week on top of a plastic floor that conducted static electricity so well that it turned every handshake or contact with the guard rail into a minor shock, dozens of staff drafted in for the week worked through 713,000 ballots for five full days.