National issues become local

By Cian McCormack

After a week on the road trying to find out whether all politics is local, it's difficult to say whether there is a definitive answer.

At the start of the week, particularly the first day, in Carlow and Tipperary, it seemed as if the local election was being dominated by national issues.

People were talking about jobs, the economy, Ireland's finances and how it hits their pockets.

But after spending five days on the road, local issues and the importance of them to communities throughout the country can not be down played.

National issues have become local on the doorstep. There is less money about, and that is impacting on peoples' pockets, and the services provided to them by councils.

Independent councillor Eddie O'Meara, who is running in the Fethard electoral area for a seat on South Tipperary County Council, illustrated the cross-pollination of national and local, by explaining that funding for local services is what voters care about. But the problems facing councillors, throughout the country, is that funding is being cut from central Government, meaning there is less money to do things locally.

'Potholes, which people expect to have filled because they pay road tax, are not being filled', Cllr Eddie O'Meara told us. 'Cuts to small budgets like this have a direct impact on voters'.

And even some posters highlight how the national dilemma collides comfortably with local issues. In Leitrim, there was one Fianna Fáil election poster reading: "In times like this it’s hard to rejoice, let Francie Gilmartin be your voice”.

And Cllr. Francie Gilmartin’s personalised slant on the Fianna Fáil brand in Leitrim shows another unique aspect of local politics - it’s personal.

The councillor is someone you see at public meetings, walking down the street; they’re the person people call to get things fixed, the person who campaigns on local issues like schools and hospitals.

Even if they’re going against what their own party says nationally – and if the local TD is gagged because they’re afraid to go against their party’s policies – the local councillor can champion a local cause mustering support for themselves and their party.

The mood on the ground is angry. People are angry with Government.

From the people we talked to, they say the local elections are a referendum on how the Government is performing.

That’s something the opposition parties argue strongly, but in small electoral areas bridges, potholes and water dominate the agenda. The local factor is very strong.

Many of the vox-pops recorded during the series were done at the side of the road. Inevitably, when people were asked what the elections issues were, it was easy for them to talk about potholes, and how bad and treacherous they are locally, because they could illustrate that fact by pointing at them on the road beside them.

A good illustration of this was when writer and publican Billy Keane told us that whoever got a letter from the NRA guaranteeing potholes would be filled in Listowel Town Council Area would top the poll there.

But also in Listowel, we got a glimpse into how local and national politics intertwine – and have interdependence.

Brian Cowen arrived to the Listowel arms last week. There Lixnaw man Gerry Buckley talked to him about the collapse of the Ballinagar bridge in 2007, and how it still hasn't yet been replaced. While Gerry didn't get a commitment on funding for a new bridge, it showed how Irish democracy works - the leader of the country was meeting a man about a local issue.

The importance of local government funding, and local government autonomy (of which there appears to be little) from central government, was raised on a number of occasions by different candidates during our journey.

Last week, Taoiseach Brian Cowen, promised to freeze commercial rates for three years in every council area where Fianna Fáil has a controlling majority on its own or in coalition with other parties.

Some local authority experts say this could minimise the amount of money that councils can raise locally and in the long-term could affect the services provided to communities by local authorities.

During the halcyon days of the Celtic Tiger’s building boom, there was, what seemed to be, an endless flow of cash into individual councils’ coffers with community development levies. However, with these levies drying up, and with reduced allocations from central government, there is already pressure on essential local services.

Funding is a critical issue, local elections expert Dr Liam Weeks told Morning Ireland last Monday.

Local government already lacks autonomy from central Government in Dublin – because it depends on it for money.

Ultimately, funding for local government dried up when Jack Lynch fulfilled his promise of cutting domestic rates in the 1977 General Election, and experts say local government hasn't recovered since.

However, the proposal to freeze commercial rates – which has been greeted positively by some business interests – might not actually be a cut.

One local authority expert pointed out that it could have a negative impact on businesses.

This is because councils usually increase rates at times of inflation. Therefore, during times of deflation rates should decrease.

The freeze on commercial rates could actually be a blessing for councils because, because by holding rates at current levels, it means that rates will remain the same for the next three years thus keeping local authority income at a constant level during that period. It depends on what way you look at it.

The issue of domestic rates is not being talked about. Politically, it is the unspeakable truth – something that we're unlikely to see any candidate mentioning publicly at any stage during this election campaign.

So while the national agenda encroaches on these local elections, and in some cases dominates individual doorstep canvasses, the local issues remain relevant and important. This election will be fought on two levels – national and local. Both are intertwined and interdependent – a product of Irish politics.