2. Ireland is a republic.
Its constitution is
influenced by the
ideas of the French
and American
revolutions
3. We hold these truths to be self-
evident, that all men are created
equal, that they are endowed by
their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights, that among
these are Life, Liberty and the
pursuit of Happiness. —
That to secure these rights,
Governments are instituted among
Men, deriving their just powers
from the consent of the
governed,
4. That whenever any Form of
Government becomes destructive
of these ends, it is the Right of
the People to alter or to abolish it,
and to institute new Government,
laying its foundation on such
principles and organizing its
powers in such form, as to them
shall seem most likely to effect
their Safety and Happiness.
Declaration of Independence
1775
5. “All powers of government,
legislative, executive and judicial,
derive, under God, from the
people, whose right it is to
designate the rulers of the State
and, in final appeal, to decide all
questions of national policy,
according to the requirements of
the common good.
Irish Constitution Article 6
6. So according to our
constitution,
government cannot
govern without the
consent of the
people..................
11. But how can we give
real consent, five
years in advance
when we don’t even
know what we are
supposed to be
“consenting” to?
12. We can’t. An election like this
does legally remove your power
of consent, and gives it away to
166 individuals, who all claim
they have been given a
mandate from you for every
decision they make.
13. These people will then vote whatever
they want to for the next five years.
In that time they are legally
unaccountable to you.
14. Even though legally they can vote
whatever they want , in fact, they
almost never do.
15. In reality Irish “representatives” only
vote the way they are told to vote,
by their parties.
17. In reality every decision made in
the Dail is in fact made by 3
people, the party leaders. Who
tell everybody else how to vote.
18. This is not therefore a democracy
it is an oligarchy.
19. oligarchy–noun, plural
1. a form of government in which
all power is vested in a few persons
or in a dominant class or clique;
government by the few.
20. The Dail is in fact a rubber stamp
assembly because it almost never
initiates legislation. It is not
independent of government and
does not hold it to account.
21. It has, in fact failed in its
constitutional function.
22. “Unfortunately, the model of
government set out in the Irish
Constitution has become more of a
fiction than a reality. In practice the
Dáil, and to a slightly lesser extent
the Seanad, is controlled very firmly
by the Government parties through
the operation of the whip system. For all practical
purposes, and I very much regret having to say this
so bluntly, parliament in Ireland has been side-lined
and is no longer in a position to hold the executive
to account. With the exception of the election of a
Taoiseach, almost all decisions of importance are
taken by the executive and are rubber-stamped by
parliament.”
Ombudsman Speech 4th
April 2010
23. DDI will work to create a mechanism
by which all the voters of a
constituency will select a candidate
to represent their wishes.
Our program
25. If elected, these representatives will
bring back each bill or other
proposal for decision to a
constituency structure.
Our program
26. If elected, these representatives
will bring back each bill or other
proposal for decision to a
constituency structure.
Our program
27. They will be obliged to abide by
the decisions of this structure on
every issue or proposal that go
through the Dail or local council.
Our program
28. DDI will campaign to write Direct
Democracy into the Irish
constitution. This will entail at a
minimum, the right of the people to:
Our program
29. Initiative – Any citizen can collect a
certain number of signatures, (a
certain % of the population), to call
a referendum.
Our program
30. Referendum – The referendum will
empower the people to veto
ministerial decisions, or government
legislation, such as NAMA, Anglo Irish
Bank etc
Our program
31. Recall – A mechanism will also be
introduced whereby politicians can
be ‘removed’ if they are not
performing their job to the
satisfaction of the electorate.
Our program
32. Take power back from politicians!
Let them be the secretaries of those they represent,
voting on the will of their constituents.
Not the party politics of what Fintan O'Toole describes
as our "parody of a democracy" where party whips,
vested interests, banks, buddies, backhanders, lobby
and pressure groups reign supreme over political
decisions and our supposed freedom.
