Lmst

And all of this could be improved by us entering the modern world with the introduction of a democratic form of local government instead of the undemocratic/unaccountable Council CEO system we have now:

#LocalDemocracy #Ireland #LocalGovernmentReform #Democracy #Irish #Community #Waterford #Democratic #LocalGovernment #IrishPolitics #IrishPol #DemocraticReform #Democratisation #Decentralisation #UrbanDesign #ActiveTravel #Urbanism #Planning #UrbanPlanning #WaterfordCity #Déise #Cycling #Bikes

A lot of this opposition comes from the fact that residents feel ignored when decisions are made by an unelected local government ('Council CEO' and Directors of Services who form the executive) - and I completely agree with Cllr Adam Wyse's recent appeals to improve democratic accountability. Changing Section 38 wouldn't be enough, as it still encourages elected councillors to oppose everything (as every councillor is effectively forced into being in opposition due to our undemocratic system of local government where they are blocked from being decision-makers), denies them any ability to form a democratic executive, and allows the Council CEO and Directors of Services to ignore public feedback without any cost.

Every other democracy in the world has 1 of 3 forms of democratic government structures:
A cabinet system with an executive formed of elected councillors - a Local Mayor and Local Ministers (like we and most other European countries have at national level, a parliamentary system)
A committee system with a series of cross-party executive Local Committees for Housing, Transport etc - this works really well in Scotland especially as it encourages cross-party collaboration and includes all democratic representatives.
A mayoral/presidential system, with a directly-elected executive mayor and Local Commissioners that they appoint, all held accountable by elected councillors. This system has been implemented in Limerick (to a minor extent, with the Council CEO renamed Dire

We currently have one of the most centralised countries in both the OECD and the EU, and are one of the only countries in Europe where votes trust their local government less than their national government (which generally holding relatively higher levels of trust for both due to our brilliant proportional and preferential STV-PR electoral system). Our unique lack of democratic accountability due to our undemocratic system of local government (which, once again, is distinct from every other democracy in the world, which has autonomous democratic local governments of one form or another) is a major reason for this.

Until the system changes to one where local councils can choose a democratic structure where they are elected to make decisions as part of an accountable executive, we will continue incentivising councillors to oppose any changes (because of a few vocal voters drowning out the majority with our individual objector planning instead of a majority participative planning system) and an unelected Local Government which is encouraged to ignore voter concerns and input.

I hope that everyone reading this can support local government reform to allow us to join the rest of the democratic world in having local executives which face democratic accountability. The UK has had a bad history of underfunding local government and centralising things, but implemented successful structural reforms in their local government reform of 2000 [full legislation here], which allowed each council to choose 1 of 4 structures (cabinet, committee, mayoral, and council CEO - similar to our current system but with the council CEO appointed by councillors instead of national government to improve local democratic accountability; this was later removed as an option because not a single council in the UK chose this worse system when given the choice).

Please consider expediting the creation of new safe and segregated bike infrastructure (inner ring road, urban Greenway to Tramore, and Cork Road) before there are any more casualties of cyclists and e-scooter users due to lack of safe infrastructure. People are always against roadworks and upheaval, but so rarely complain about infrastructure once it's completed and they see the results in terms of improved traffic levels, more freedom of travel, and better wellbeing. And please consider putting pressure on your parties and other councillors to support local government reform into one which is more democratic and trusted, alongside holding more decentralised powers.

Building a Local TDG

Six steps to start a new democracy:

https://tiereddemocraticgovernance.org/blog_details.php?blog_cat_id=31&id=158

#tiereddemocraticgovernance
#democraticreform

Building a Local TDG

Six steps to start a new democracy:

South Korea’s National Assembly Speaker Woo Won-shik called for the prompt initiation of constitutional amendment discussions, advocating a phased and consensus-driven approach, citing favorable political conditions and growing public demand for democratic reforms.
#YonhapInfomax
#ConstitutionalAmendment #WooWonShik #NationalAssembly #DemocraticReform #PublicConsensus
#Economics #FinancialMarkets #Banking #Securities #Bonds #StockMarket
https://en.infomaxai.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=72506

A happy birthday to the United States - the only nation since Athens to be founded by an entire roomful of geniuses

As Americans haven't done what the Founders suggested - to revise the Constitution to match changing times - it's been overtaken by a constellation of ruses, games & riggings by special interests

On its 249th birthday, the United States doesn't have fiscal, social & environmental problems—it has a democracy problem

https://books2read.com/thirddraft

#PoliticalReform #DemocraticReform

Our archipelago of world crises is, in fact, an undersea mountain range

Whilst each ‘island’—environmental overshoot, war, surveillance, inequality—is different from the other, each is anchored in the Stone Age impulses of ‘This is mine’ & ‘I must prevail’.

Stone Age societies were organized to neutralize those impulses—which is how they survived.

We should do the same

https://books2read.com/thirddraft

#Democracy #Politics #DemocraticReform #NonFiction #SystemChange #PoliticalBooks #PoliticalScience

Our archipelago of world crises is, in fact, an undersea mountain range.

Whilst each ‘island’—environmental overshoot, war, surveillance, inequality—is different from the other, each is anchored in the Stone Age impulses of ‘This is mine’ & ‘I must prevail’.

Stone Age societies were organized to neutralize those impulses—which is how they survived.

We should do the same.

https://books2read.com/thirddraft

#Democracy #Politics #ThirdDraftDemocracy #DemocraticReform #BookRecommendations #NonFiction

Just left the candidate debate for Calgary Centre. It was a full house and there was a large overflow crowd outside listening via loudspeakers. The Calgary Centre Conservative incumbent is out of step with his riding, but he'll likely keep winning due to our ridiculous first-past-the-post system that the Liberals promised to reform the last time they won this riding. People voted strategically based on that promise and the Liberals backtracked. They never learn.

#democraticreform

A blue sky with clouds over the Cold Garden Beverage Company sign on top of the building where a crowd has gathered outside.There's a blue umbrella visible with people standing around talking and others brought their dogs. There is a long line of bicycles parked in front also.

Our politicians and media here in Ireland don't focus enough on the sick state of our Democracy; if 40.3% of registered Irish adults (and even more including those who are eligible but not registered) are not voting, this should be the main story of the election - that is double the percentage of people who voted for the largest party in the last election.

#Ireland #Democracy #MoreDemocracy #DemocraticReform #ElectoralReform #RightToVote #VoteAbroad #GermanElections #Germany #EU

(3/3)

One of the big takeaways from the German election is just how much more engaged German voters are than Irish voters.

Yesterday, Germany reached a turnout of 83.5% of registered voters. In our General Election last November, we had just 59.7% of registered voters come out to vote.

#Ireland #Irish #Democracy #IrishElections #PostalVote #MoreDemocracy #DemocraticReform #ElectoralReform #RightToVote #VoteAbroad #IrishDemocracy #GermanElections #Germany #EU

(1/3)

Corrupt information & government are cured not by attacking each instance, but by bullet-proofing the system.

One-off reforms are #fragile. Changing the world needs more than inspired troubleshooting. It needs architecture.

#Inequality #IncomeInequality #plutocracy #DemocraticReform #politics #auspol #DirectDemocracy #DeliberativeDemocracy

The Mechanics of Changing the World lays out in exhaustive and persuasive detail why our current democracies aren't fit for purpose and identifies the four spheres which are democracy’s present-day 'choke points:' monopoly media, political money, skewed electoral machinery and civic alienation.

#anarchism #democracyreform #democraticreform
https://fantasticalfiction4.wordpress.com/2024/09/15/democracy-re-drafted/

Reforming this system of local government to make it democratic is the key to fixing so many problems in Ireland.

We deserve better than the weak local democracy which currently exists.

(4/4)

#LocalElections #Ireland #Waterford #democracy #DemocraticReform #IrishPolitics

Ireland is essentially unique in denying voters the right to elect councillors who can form a local government, which causes us to be one of the only countries in Europe where we trust our Local Government even less than our National Government.

That has led to decades of centralisation, reducing efficiency and accountability of our public services.

(3/4)

#LocalElections #Ireland #Waterford #democracy #DemocraticReform #IrishPolitics

But in Ireland, we don't have the right to elect our Local Government. Regardless of who we choose as councillors, the people with power at local level are not elected by voters, but appointed by the Minister of Housing, Heritage, and Local Government Darragh O'Brien.

Sean McKeown is just the latest in a series of unaccountable Council CEOs, leading a team of unaccountable Directors of Services.

(2/4)

#LocalElections #Ireland #Waterford #democracy #DemocraticReform #IrishPolitics

Just 1 month after the local elections where the people of Waterford elected 32 powerless councillors, the head of the Local Government (the CEO of the Council) has been appointed without any input from voters.

If Ireland had a real local democracy, those we elect would form a local government which is directly accountable to local voters.

https://waterford-news.ie/news/sean-mckeown-to-take-over-as-ceo-of-waterford_arid-24752.html

(1/4)

#LocalElections #Ireland #Waterford #democracy #DemocraticReform #IrishPolitics

Going poster fishing 🎣

There's still one on the Doneraile that I wasn't able to retrieve - I never put any up near the doneraile so it must have been one of the 14 which people nicked 🙃 but let me know if anyone finds any others!

#Tramore #Waterford #WorkersAndCarers #LocalElections #Ireland #IrishElections #LE24 #Democracy #BuildingThrivingCommunities #DemocraticReform #Campaigning

A photo of Killian holding a pole with a hook in one of his local election poster retrieved from a grassy ditch.

This is historic. More power to the SA Government and good luck for the inevitable High Court challenge. Of course, I must point out that this idea has been Greens policy for twenty years, but that doesn't matter right now. We need this. In fact, the world needs this precedent.

Link to story:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-13/south-australia-electoral-donation-ban/103970046

#democracy #DemocracyForSale #SouthAustralia #StateCapture #auspol #DemocraticReform #elections #PoliticalDonations

The South Australian Premier delivers an address

I took a break from the count centre yesterday to head out and start taking down posters - I got about half of the 60 down yesterday and plan to take down the other half today!

#Tramore #WaterfordCity #Waterford #Déise #WorkersAndCarers #Campaigning #LocalElections #Ireland #Irish #IrishPolitics #IrishElections #LE24 #LocalElection2024 #Democracy #BuildingThrivingCommunities #DemocraticReform #YoungPolitics #YoungCandidate #EcoSocialism #LocalDemocracy #Community