The Irish Political system volume 1 There seemed yesterday to be a bit of demand for some info about the Irish political system. So i've pinched this from the Irish EU presidency 2004 website But I think it gives a good run down of the essentials of the Irish political system. It may be a bit patronising for the expert but is ideal for dumb foreigners which alas in this respect is the bracket I fall into.



Ireland is a parliamentary democracy. The two houses of the Oireachtas (parliament) are Dáil Éireann (house of representatives) and Seanad Éireann (the Senate). The Constitution was enacted in 1937. It defines the powers and functions of the President, the Government and the Oireachtas.

The Government is led by the Taoiseach (the prime minister, currently Bertie Ahern) and Tánaiste (deputy prime minister, currently Mary Harney).

Each of the Dáil's 166 members is a TD (Teachta Dála). They are directly elected by the people. General elections take place at least once every five years. The most recent one was in 2002. Since independence in 1922, Ireland has used an electoral system based on proportional representation by means of the Single Transferable Vote (STV). This system is used to elect members to the Dail, local councils and the European Parliament. Electors indicate their most favoured candidate by putting "1" beside the candidate's name on the ballot paper (or screen), and can go on to indicate their second, third and lower preferences in the same way.

The Seanad has 60 members; 11 are nominated by the Taoiseach, the rest from a number of vocational panels and by graduates of universities. The Seanad can initiate or revise legislation, but the Dáil has the power to reject these proposals or amendments.

The President is the Head of State, and is directly elected by the people. The current President, Mary McAleese, was elected for a seven-year term in November 1997. Her immediate predecessor, Mary Robinson, was Ireland's first woman President.

The President does not have an executive or policy role. While not having the powers of, say, the US or French President, Ireland's President has the absolute discretion to refuse the dissolution of the Dáil when the Taoiseach has ceased to retain a majority in the house. The President can also refer a Bill to the Supreme Court for a judgment on its constitutionality.

Presidential candidates need the nominations of 20 members or ex-members of the Oireachtas, or nomination by the councils of four administrative counties. Sitting Presidents can nominate themselves, but may only serve for two terms. Where there is more than one candidate, the people elect the President by direct vote.

There are 15 Government Departments, each headed by a Minister. The present Government is a coalition between Fianna Fáil and the Progressive Democrats. The other main political parties in the Dáil are Fine Gael, the Labour Party, the Green Party, Sinn Féin and the Socialist Party.

Fianna Fáil has been the largest party in the Dáil since 1932. It is part of the Union for Europe group in the European Parliament. Fine Gael, the second largest party, is part of the European People's Party.

The Labour Party is a member of the Party of European Socialists (PES) in the European Parliament. The Progressive Democrats were established in 1985 to create a liberal party in the European mould. The Green Party is associated with Green Parties in over 30 other countries. Sinn Féin is an Irish republican party.

Local Government

The local government system is administered by 114 local authorities and is undergoing a process of renewal and reform. The services they provide include:

• housing and building;

• road transportation and safety;

• water supply and sewerage;

• development incentives and controls;

• environmental protection;

• recreation and amenity;

• some education, health, welfare and other services.

Local government is funded partly by central government and partly by local sources including motor tax proceeds, rates on commercial property, and local charges such as refuse and rents. There are eight regional authorities and two regional assemblies whose members are nominated by local authorities. Their main tasks are to promote public service co-ordination and to monitor and advise on EU structural and cohesion funding programmes.  ¶ 6:34 pm