Changes will do little to dispel apathy

After the 1977 general election, the gerrymandering aspect was taken out of politics with the establishment of an independent Constituency Commission.

The initiation of such a commission removed the impulse of the Government of the day to redraw constituency boundaries, when the 12-year review was due, to their electoral advantage.

Nobody can seriously challenge the inherent independence of the most recent commission overhaul of those boundaries, and while the latest redrawal will probably disadvantage some sitting TDs, the point of the exercise is to improve voter representation.