http://hdl.handle.net/10468/211 2013-05-19T06:04:05Z http://hdl.handle.net/10468/322 The puzzle of non-party actors in party democracy: Independents in Ireland Bolleyer, Nicole; Weeks, Liam It is an accepted truth that parties are the central political actors in all liberal democracies. This dominance of parties is often considered the logical outcome of rational politicians’ attempts to maximize their utility in terms of votes and policy influence. However, the last twenty years have seen a number of significant Independent (i.e. non-party) actors emerge in more than a few political systems. From an actor-centred point of view, party affiliation can, depending on the particular environment, be rather a liability than an advantage, which has significant implications for the role of non-party actors in face of weakening party democracies. To demonstrate this point, we deliver an account of the rise of Independents in the Irish political system, opposed to the dominant scholarly perspective that tends to consider Independents as an idiosyncrasy. We show that the choice of organizational independence over party affiliation represents a reaction to incentives inherent in the electoral, parliamentary and governmental stages that can disfavour party as the most efficient vehicle for individual goal attainment. This becomes evident when avoiding the misleading comparison between parties as collective bodies with that of Independents as individuals, instead focussing on the respective strategic positions of the individual MPs. 2009-09-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10468/23 We don’t like (to) party. A typology of Independents in Irish political life, 1922–2007 Weeks, Liam This article examines the phenomenon of Independents, or non-party candidates, in Irish political life. It has two main aims: the first is to disaggregate Independents from ‘others’ to provide a definitive dataset of their electoral performance, and to enable more reliable and valid analysis about this actor. The second, and primary, aim is to use this disaggregation to construct a typology of Independents. The background of every Independent candidate contesting a general election between 1922 and 2007 is examined, from which they are grouped into a number of Independent families and sub-categories. A detailed profile is provided of each of these categories, describing their key characteristics and respective electoral performances. It is shown that Independents are a residual heterogeneous category, about whom a better understanding can be achieved if their diversity is appreciated. 2009-02-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10468/25 Reconsidering directly elected mayors in Ireland: Experiences from the United Kingdom and America Quinlivan, Aodh As part of the proposed modernisation of Irish local government a directly elected mayor with executive powers will be introduced in Dublin in 2011. It is then anticipated that the system of elected mayors will be extended to the whole country. However, it is not known what impact this new form of executive leadership will have on the prevailing system whereby city and county managers are dominant. Drawing from experiences in the United Kingdom and the United States, this paper suggests that Ireland needs a clear, unambiguous mayoral model. As a political leader with executive powers it is imperative that the mayor’s relationships with both the council and the city/county manager are tightly defined. 2008-11-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10468/19 Judicial review under the Irish Constitution: More American than Commonwealth Ó Tuama, Séamus The Irish legal system emerged from the British system. Yet the Irish constitution diverges from the Commonwealth model and more closely resembles the American constitution in both substance and application. This means that while the Irish parliamentary system is very much based on the Westminster model, the legal system, while remaining within the Common Law family, has important distinctions. One of the key areas of divergence from the Commonwealth model is in judicial review. This has important ramifications for the recognition and elaboration of human rights under the constitution. This article explores some of the historical reasons for the shift from the Commonwealth model and the nature and consequence of some of those differences. It also contrasts certain aspects of the Irish judicial review process with those pertaining in the United States; in particular it highlights some anti-democratic tendencies in the Irish system. 2008-10-01T00:00:00Z