Corruption in the Republic, while not systemic, is institutional and will require faith in our representative democracy to combat it. In short, the legislature, often seen as part of the problem, will have to become part of the solution by introducing tough anti-corruption measures to win over the public's trust, the authors of a new book on corruption have claimed.
There are already signs this is happening, according to Prof Neil Collins, head of the department of government at UCC, and UCC lecturer Ms Mary O'Shea, who have written Understanding Corruption in Irish Politics.
Just published by Cork University Press, the slim paperback warns in a preamble that coverage in the media of the goings-on in high places has often led to the idea that the Republic "has joined the ranks of irredeemably base regimes". One Sunday newspaper suggested that when it came to corruption, Irish politicians had nothing to learn from African dictators.
If such assessments were allowed to go unchallenged, Ireland would neither be able to understand its corruption nor to counter it intelligently, the authors said. The book looks at the DIRT inquiry as well as the beef tribunal, the McCracken, Moriarty and Flood tribunals, and many of the sideshows that developed from them, such as the Foley and Ellis affairs.
The beef tribunal, it says, highlighted concerns about the role of personal friendships in the business/political arena, as well as the probity and reasonableness of Government procedures and political party funding. An outlook thought to be particularly prevalent in Fianna Fail, it adds, is that what is good for Irish companies, particularly in exports, is good for the Republic as a whole.
To counterbalance such thinking, the authors suggest, the Dail could limit outside employment of ministers, senior civil servants and special advisers during and for a period after their tenure.
They further suggest that deputies should not be allowed to act as lobbyists even when this role is openly declared, and that as well as disclosing personal assets, Dail members should be required to disclose their liabilities - "if not publicly, at least to some office in a position to blow the whistle if conflicts of interest occur".
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