The Labour Party is to propose reducing the number of full time politicians as part of a new policy document to be published shortly, its leader Eamon Gilmore has said.
Speaking at the Impact trade union conference in Portlaoise, Mr Gilmore said that between TDs and Senators and the new full-time mayors which have been proposed by the Government, the country would have between 230-240 full-time politicians.
“I think there is a need to rationalise that," he said.
Mr Gilmore said the system of governance currently in the country dates back to the foundation of the State and he said that in the 21st century there was a need to look at this afresh “almost with a blank page”.
Mr Gilmore said the party had not yet worked out the reduction in politicians in terms of numbers. However, he said such a review would have to ask what a country with a population of 4.5 million people needed in terms of its public representation.
Meanwhile both Fine Gael and Labour categorically ruled out participation in any government of national unity that included Fianna Fáil.
Also speaking at the impact conference in Portlaoise, Fine Gael deputy leader Richard Bruton said the country did not need “a second rate compromise with the people who had got the country into the mess it is in”.
Mr Bruton said that what was needed was “regime change”.
Mr Gilmore asked delegates “how many ways to people want to keep Fianna in Government”.
