In his just-published study, A New Electoral System for Ireland? Michael Laver puts the case, with many arguments, tables and charts, for replacing our current single transferable vote system with the Additional Member System, AMS, used in Germany and New Zealand. It involves some single seat constituencies and a list PR element for the rest.
Launching the study at the National Museum on Wednesday, Brian Lenihan, chairman of the all-party Oireachtas Committee on the Constitution, which will decide whether or not our system needs changing, said Laver had come to the alarming conclusion that under AMS Fianna Fail would win all the constituency seats and the others would get theirs from the list. More alarmingly, FF would have to do all the constituency work. "We already do," said a voice from the audience.
Lenihan suggested Laver might look at other systems. What about the Japanese one, which, Quidnunc discovered later, would give FF 65 per cent of the seats? Anyway, he said, he had a sneaking affection for our system with its long counts, unpredictable eliminations and teetering victories and defeats.
The vice chairman of the committee, Fine Gael's Jim O'Keeffe, said that in this age of ethics in public office he had to declare that he had been elected in the last eight elections under the current system and he had more than a sneaking regard for it. But, he said, there were enormous benefits under AMS in that Fianna Fail would have to do all the constituency work.