Suggestions for Sanity

Much mystification in Government and Opposition about the tax receipts plunging still deeper into the toilet. No wonder we all voted for Lisbon when our own leaders are getting us nowhere. But this time I think Cowen, Gilmore and Kenny actually did "get it" when the people acted rationally and voted for continued support from the European Central Bank. When our financial institutions are bankrupt of money and our politicians are bankrupt of ideas, we have to take what we can get and be thankful for it. But enough about what is wrong with our political establishment. Now we need to ask why.

Rahm Emanuel, Obama's chief of staff, famously said: "Never waste a good crisis." So in that can-do spirit here are some suggestions that are now on the people's radar thanks to the incompetence demonstrated by the clique that pull the levers in Ireland.

First, the radical reduction in the membership of the Dáil that we all want, must be matched by a huge cut in salary and expenses, including the introduction of 'clocking-in' to verify attendance. There can be no more claims of 'entitlement' from politicians simply because they have been elected. Lenihan is on the right track with his intention to benchmark the pay of politicians and civil servants to the European norm, instead of using made-up numbers and false comparisons with the private sector to fleece the taxpayer. Oh, and watch out for the Oireachtas "committee-hopping" at which Pat Rabbitte is such an expert. It entails moving around from one committee meeting to another, staying just a few minutes at each one. Why? Because they get paid €100 for each committee they attend. Sweet!

Secondly, instead of simply abolishing the Seanad, it should be used as a means of co-opting non-political talent into the policy process, much in the way recommended by several business leaders earlier this year when the Government's incompetence threatened to drag us all down. It might, perhaps, have been useful to be able to include someone like former Goldman Sachs boss Peter Sutherland in the Government when we were trying to persuade the international financial markets that Ireland was not about to go the same way as Iceland last winter. He was willing enough, but there was no constitutional way to do it.

Thirdly, there is now a crying need for a third force in Irish politics - something to challenge the populist consensus that means this country no longer has a functioning democracy, now that Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Labour share the majority of their party programmes in common. The united front of the parties on the Lisbon Treaty was a rare glimpse behind the usual pantomime to the reality of Irish politics, ie, a social partnership oligarchy, ensuring the only competition between the parties is on which of them can spend the most taxpayer's money.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, we have to force our ministers to be responsible for any waste of our money. This means making them legally liable for every spending decision they make, including lavish payoffs to fat-cat failures like Rody Molloy of Fás. If people like Mary Coughlan and Martin Cullen thought they would end up in the Four Courts explaining their largesse to some hotshot senior counsel, they might think twice before lashing out our money to cronies like it was going out of fashion.

That's enough to be going on with. Any other suggestions will be gratefully received.