Stephen Collins in today’s Irish times (page 13) writes about an anomaly where the number of TDs per constituency is set by the population size via census not by the citizenship of the constituency.
1. this is only an anomaly if you want to disenfranchise non Irish citizens and Irish babies, children and youth up to the age of 18
2. Collins holds up an anomaly, there is none, the constitution says population and the boundary commission uses population, No anomaly there!
3. Should a non Irish citizen be less represented than an Irish Citizen? No.
4. Are there more Irish Citizens that stay at home and don’t vote than the “anomaly” Collins thinks he has uncovered? yes.
5. All the population are entitled to representation.
6. So the two Constituencies that are least represented are Dublin West & Dublin North which should return two Socialist Party deputies at the next election. Memories of Gerrymandering.
7. Collins argues that areas that have had decreasing populations (i call it empty nest syndrome) have higher proportion of Irish citizens than DW & DN, this is an “anomaly”?
8. The votes are secret ballot. All TDs / Councillors in my area represent me. But they wont should I disagree with their policies and planning ideas etc. So in general the best way I have of getting represented, and particularly for marginalised population is to have a public representative that is voted in by me/them, ideal with STV PR and not ideal in a first past the post system. Much more possible if the number of TDs is proportionate to the population not the voters (over 18) or Irish citizens.
Perhaps the real anomaly is that we take your Income Tax, Value Added Tax on your mars bar (and Irish Times), road tax TV licence, waste charges tax, capital gains, stamp duty, but if your not an Irish citizen living here you can not vote, so we will give your area less TDs! Perhaps Collins should look into the vote for the non Irish Citizen, rather than think that the constitution has an anomaly and that areas really are not under represented.
No taxation without representation becomes “all tax no representation” anomaly