DE BURCA LAUNCHES ELECTION CAMPAIGN WITH CALL FOR GREATER LOCAL DEMOCRACY

Many county Wicklow voters are dissatisfied with the current political system and feel disenfranchised and disconnected from politics, according to councillor de Burca. "A disturbing number of the people that I am meeting on the doorsteps during this campaign are alienated from the political process", she said. "There is a very worrying cynicism about politics, particularly among young people."

According to councillor de Burca, part of the problem is that many people feel that politics is not relevant to their lives and has little to do with them. "Politicians should encourage and empower people to participate fully in matters that affect their lives rather than supporting a culture of fixing deals behind closed doors", she said. "If politics happens in back rooms in which secret deals are made then special interests can easily have a disproportionate influence while ordinary people are excluded", she added, pointing to the many cosy relationships between politicians and property developers that have been exposed by the ongoing tribunals.

"Excessive clientism and auction politics in which people are bribed with their own money also does nothing to promote engagement with politics", said the Green Party councillor. "In the long run such behaviour pits town against town and county against county and merely serves to increase the cynicism with which many people view the entire process".

"Democracy is not something that happens only at elections", said councillor de Burca. "It also involves free and open access to information and the ability to contribute to decisions that affect your life and your community". "Public access to information and to the decision-making process acts as a very importance check to possible bias, favouritism or corruption", she said. "The public is the most effective watchdog".

Among the measures that de Burca has suggested that would facilitate transparency and greater public participation in the political process are:

-The live and recorded broadcast of all council and committee meetings via the Internet.
-Easier public access to government documents and information including meeting agendas and minutes, planning applications, studies, plans and other documents, many of which could be cheaply and easily made available online.
-More community representatives on policy-making bodies
-The simplification of government processes, forms and documents to make them more accessible to ordinary people.

"Ireland has changed more over the last five years than possibly at any other time in history", said councillor de Burca. "But the political landscape seems to be dominated by the same people, the same parties and the same tired, stale and ineffective policies and ideas." "People are looking for real and meaningful alternatives", she said. "Whether those alternatives include the Green Party is up to the people to decide. However new ideas and fresh attitudes to politics are clearly needed."

For further information please contact Deirdre de Burca on 086 8061450 or email deburca@wicklowgreens.org.