Sir, – January 10th was the closing date for public submissions to the Constituency Commission established to review the current constituencies in light of the 2011 Census and which is charged with making changes to the electoral boundaries under which we are likely to go the polls in the next general election.
As of January 9th there were roughly 250 submissions made, a reasonably representative number one might think until you realise that fully 152 of them concerned Swords alone, with a small scattering with references to Dublin North in general, while a further 34 were focused solely on matters concerning Leitrim. Less than two people on average had had anything at all to contribute to the shape and form of the remaining 40-plus constituencies. I salute the interest shown by the people of Swords and Leitrim but what of the rest of the electorate?
Doubtless when the Commission makes its report in six months’ time plenty will take to the airwaves, nationally and locally, to find fault with it. Yet when the time was there to make their voices heard they chose instead to be silent. Or was it the case that barring public notices in the press, there has been an absence of substantive discussion of the possible consequences of this review?
It is said that decisions are made by those who show up, or at minimum those who are even aware that a decision is there to be to made. – Yours, etc,