There were intimations of political change at Dublin's City Council this week when Sinn Féin representatives voted in favour of a local authority budget. With power comes responsibility and, as the largest political party on the council, its members were under pressure to provide adequate funding for services and administration. Abandoning an established approach to such budgets, Sinn Féin made common cause with Independents, the Labour Party and the Green Party in voting through a relatively benign package of measures. The arrangement formed part of a power-sharing agreement under which Sinn Féin will hold the position of mayor during the 1916 centenary commemorations.
An increase in council revenues generated by the property tax meant the budget did not involve service cutbacks. But differences between the major parties remained. A proposal by council management to use its additional income to cut commercial rates by one per cent was supported by Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil but scaled back by Sinn Féin and its allies. The money saved will be spent on street cleaning and the 1916 celebrations.
Spending money is an easy option. On this occasion, an additional €7million has been voted for homelessness in Dublin and a contingency fund of €5m may also be used to refurbish vacant council accommodation. These are necessary and popular measures. Imposing charges is a different matter and requires common purpose and political discipline. The spoils-sharing arrangement between Sinn Féin and Independents at Dublin City Council, with support from Labour and the Green Party, would be unlikely to survive a serious financial shock.
Nevertheless, an alliance involving such disparate groups at a time of increasing voter volatility threatens the rotating hegemony of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil and offers the prospect of new alignments. In particular, the role of Independent TDs in forming or supporting a government may form a crucial element within a fragmented system.