The continuity behind the Dáil transformation

Half the TDs are new but the routes to becoming a deputy remain much the same

IN THE time lapse between the incredible drama of election count weekend and the political excitement that will attend a change of government next week, media have been struggling to fill space. Their task is not helped by the two main parties’ careful stage-management of the pace of negotiations on their programme for government.

In this post-election lull the more colourful Independents have attracted disproportionate attention. However, their novelty value will wear off, their stories eventually absorbed into the wider tale of the transformation of the Dáil’s membership.

Half of the 166 deputies who will sit and vote in the Dáil next Wednesday were not members of the Dáil when it last sat. Of these, six are former deputies who were not members of the last Dáil and have regained seats. These include the Labour Party’s Eric Byrne and Seán Kenny, who last sat in the Dáil in 1997; Fine Gael’s Frances Fitzgerald, who last held a Dáil seat in 2002; and two Independents, Catherine Murphy and Seamus Healy, who along with Fine Gael’s Liam Twomey lost their seats in 2007.

Some 14 deputies in the new Dáil, including Liam Twomey, were members of the outgoing Seanad. In formulating his campaign to place future Dáil contenders in the next Seanad, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin could learn much from the success of new Fine Gael deputies such as Ciarán Cannon, John Paul Phelan, Joe O’Reilly, Jerry Buttimer, Paschal Donohoe, Paudie Coffey and Nicky McFadden; and new Labour deputies such as Brendan Ryan, Alex White, Dominic Hannigan and Michael McCarthy. All were unsuccessful Dáil candidates in 2007 who then parked in the Seanad and came back to win Dáil seats last weekend.

Shane Ross is the not the first Independent senator to contest a Dáil election successfully but most if not all Independent senators who previously ran successfully for the Dáil first joined parties. Of these, Gemma Hussey and John Horgan are the most memorable modern examples.

The most striking thing about the new deputies is that almost all were serving politicians of one sort or another before they were elected to Dáil Éireann. Of those who were not previously members of the Oireachtas, as many as 53 were sitting members of local councils. The extent to which local government is still the primary route to national politics in this country is stunning.

Among those elected to the Dáil this time without a local government base, one can in most cases identify particular features that assisted their Dáil challenge. For example, Joe Higgins and Alan Kelly were serving MEPs, while Mary Lou McDonald was an MEP until two years ago. Gerry Adams was until two months ago a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly and House of Commons and, of course, the high-profile leader of Sinn Féin.

Labour’s new deputy in Clare, Michael McNamara, ran unsuccessfully as an Independent in the 2009 European elections. Fine Gael’s new deputy in Louth, Peter Fitzpatrick, had the obvious political advantage of being the county football manager. Arthur Spring in Kerry enjoyed a head start as the standard-bearer for a prominent local political dynasty.

One could argue that the next best method for getting elected to Dáil Éireann after being a serving local councillor or senator is to be a panellist on Tonight with Vincent Browne. The recent Fine Gael recruit Peter Mathews obviously falls into that category. Independent Wexford deputy Mick Wallace launched his campaign on the programme, while the Wicklow deputy Stephen Donnelly also benefited from exposure on it. All three also ran impressive campaigns, all the more impressive considering their lack of a local government or political party base.

The only other Dáil newcomer I can identify as not already a serving office holder in local or national politics is Fine Gael’s Áine Collins in Cork North West. This was her first electoral contest, although she sits on Fine Gael’s national executive.

In researching the occupational history of the newly elected deputies, the first thing one notices is how many downplayed it in campaign material and online profiles, preferring to promote the fact that they were "full-time politicians". When compiling The Tallyman's Campaign Handbookbefore the election, and indeed since, it has been near impossible to find any pre-politics work history for many deputies.

Of new deputies whose pre-politics occupations can be identified, 12 are teachers, five worked as lawyers, four are farmers, three are postmasters and three are former bank officials (two of those in Cavan-Monaghan). Three of the new deputies qualified as chemists. Only seven of the new deputies could be classified as small businesspeople, while the one with most practical experience as an employer is probably Mick Wallace.

Of Gilmore’s Guys, the male cohort of new Labour Party faces, four are teachers: John Lyons, Michael Conaghan, Aodhán Ó Ríordáin and Robert Dowds, while a fifth, Gerald Nash, worked previously as a teacher. The new Sinn Féin deputies include some who appear to have had no occupation before politics or are shy about sharing it. Those who list a prior occupation include a management consultant, a former shop steward and a former television repairman.

In a break with tradition, very few new deputies are publicans. I could only find one: Tom Fleming, the new Independent deputy in Kerry South.