Sir, – Very few would deny that there are many obstacles between women and service in the Dáil. Few would believe that those obstacles are unique to women. Young people (ie those under 35) also face obstacles, such as low personal finances and lack of childcare, which can end a potential Dáil bid before it begins. The scale of the impediments facing young people is reflected in the composition of the current Dáil. Under-35s make up 52 per cent of the Republic’s population yet the average TD age is just under 50. Just five of our 166 TDs are aged between 20 and 29.
If the purpose of the gender quota is to improve representation, then a precedent has been set and positive discrimination must be applied to young people (and other groups) too.
If the purpose of the gender quota is to improve democracy, it cannot achieve its goal. The party selection convention, for good or bad, is the beginning of our democratic process, as most Dáil candidates come through free-voting conventions of political parties whose membership is open to the public. Interfering with party conventions has ramifications for national democracy, as the electorate can only vote for ratified party candidates and, to a lesser degree, Independents.
We either want democratic representation or we want demographic representation. One does not necessarily follow the other and only one is democratic. – Yours, etc,
NOEL CAMPBELL,
Castlebar,
Co Mayo.