A Chara, - Noel Dempsey's proposals for electoral reform (The Irish Times July 13th) are to be welcomed and deserve serious consideration. Introducing a list system will help to bring a greater policy orientation into politics, as voters will make their choices more on the basis of where political groups stand on particular issues rather than on who claims to have filled in a pothole or secured a house.
Such issues are important but are really the remit of local authorities, not our national legislature. Giving local government greater powers in these areas will be essential but will be much aided by the decision to bar Oireachtas members from contesting local elections in 2004.
I do not accept the contention that the Minister's proposals will disadvantage the smaller parties. The Irish electorate is sophisticated enough to adapt to any new system and it is quite probable that many voters will vote for a candidate of one party on a local ballot and a different party on the list system. Witness the recent Scottish Parliament elections where the list system benefited the smaller parties, notably the Greens and Scots Socialists. The list system used for the British European elections also saw the election of UK Independence Party members which would not have happened otherwise. Other European list systems point to similar results.
If there is a problem with the idea of the local constituency being a single-seater, why not develop the discussion and look at the possibility of multi-seat local constituencies combined with the list system, rather than knee-jerk negative reactions such as those we have come to expect from Patricia McKenna (many of her European colleagues having benefited from a list system). - Is mise, Malcolm Byrne,
FF Town Commissioner, Gorey, Co Wexford.