Madam, - I support G. Doyle's call for radical reform of the political system (November 10th).
In particular he makes a very strong point about over-representation at Dáil level. We have 166 TDs for a population of just over 4 million but the UK manages with 646 MPs for almost 60 million people. A hundred TDs would be more than enough to run the country.
Many of our current Dáil representatives are little more than glorified county councillors - a characteristic that is encouraged by our multi-seat constituency system. A reduction in Dáil numbers could be accompanied by a reform of this system and a complete, ground-up overhaul of local government.
If any former PD members are contemplating forming a new "radical" party, they could well make electoral reform their keynote policy. While TDs voting for a reduction in their own numbers is akin to turkeys voting for Christmas, a party with no TDs at present should have no qualms about adopting such a policy. Given current public disillusionment with the political class, it could prove extremely popular. - Yours, etc,