The crisis that engulfed Ireland in 2008 was three-fold. It was a banking crisis; it was a fiscal crisis; but it was also a political crisis.
As tax revenue from property dried up; as the cranes fell silent; as our economy and our banking system reaped the consequences of light-touch regulation; and as the Fianna Fáil Government who had presided over this flawed model, wrote a blank cheque from the taxpayer for insolvent banks, people rightly asked, how did this happen? And, more importantly, how can we make sure, in our democracy, that it never happens again?
There is no single answer to that question. But one thing is clear: as well as fixing our banks – which we are doing; as well as fixing our economy – which is, with hard work, recovering; we have to fix our politics.
And we are doing so. Before the last election, both the Labour Party and Fine Gael went to the people with their proposals for reform of our political system. The result, in the Programme for Government, is the most comprehensive and far-reaching agenda for democratic reform adopted by any Irish Government in recent memory.
Looking at the past two years, few can doubt this Government’s commitment to reforming not just our political system, but also our political culture – making it more transparent, and more democratic.
We promised to set up a Constitutional Convention, made up of citizens as well as elected representatives. That body has already looked at voting rights, gender rights, equal marriage rights, and next week will vote on electoral reform.
We said we would reform the Dáil, extending sitting time by 50%, sitting on Fridays, making it easier for backbench and Opposition TDs to bring forward legislation and raise important issues. We have done so.
We said we would cut the donations that can be made to political parties, including corporate donations, and link state funding to a gender balance that better reflects the real world. This legislation was passed last summer.
We said we would legislate to protect whistleblowers, extend Freedom of Information, enable the Dáil to hold inquiries, and regulate lobbying. All of which will be completed in by the end of this summer, or in the autumn.
Democracy is an ongoing project. Our institutions are only as good as the purpose they serve – and that purpose is a fair and effective democracy. The proposal to abolish the Seanad, and have a single chamber parliament, is part of that ongoing evolution. Ultimately, it is for the people to decide whether they want to have two institutions dealing with legislation and holding Government to account, or one. This Government is simply giving them that choice.
It is a choice that the Labour Party promised before the last election, because it is our view that a reformed Dáil can serve the public interest, and effectively uphold our democracy. No democracy is perfect. No institution is perfect. But it must cleave to some fundamental principles: fair elections, where every citizen has an equal say. A functioning parliament, that upholds the public interest without fear or favour, and that acts as a guardian for future generations. And it should be effective – an enabler of progress, not an obstacle to it.
A reformed Dáil – including the reforms this Government has already introduced – can fulfil all of these functions. Indeed, we should settle for no less.
The responsibility for a functioning, fair and effective democracy falls to all of us – to elected representatives, to Government, and to the people, to whom it belongs. As a democrat, I believe in giving people the right to decide how they are governed. A referendum on the future of the Seanad is just one element of a wider programme of democratic reform – and the people will have the chance to deliver their verdict before the end of this year.