Adlai Stevenson, a former US presidential hopeful, once noted ruefully that” a candidate has to render himself unfit for office in order to obtain it”. All too often those seeking office do so by making promises that they know – in their heads if not their hearts - they cannot hope to keep, if elected. And parties that over promise and under deliver may in the end pay a high electoral price for raising public expectations that they subsequently disappoint.

Before the last election, a shared policy aim of Fine Gael and Labour was to cut the number of quangos – small State agencies. Some were regarded as wasteful, inefficient, and were often unaccountable. A smaller administration, it was suggested, would mean better government, and also realise some savings for taxpayers. The Government's aim was to abolish 100 such agencies during its tenure. However, after over three years in office, the Coalition's rate of progress in quango culling has been unimpressive. So far 45 agencies have either been closed, or are due to close. However, a further 33 quangos have been established since the Coalition's formation. And by 2016, a likely election year, the net reduction in quango numbers may be fewer than 20 – one fifth of the original target. The Government, it would seem, is running hard but making little real progress on this issue.

This failure illustrates the folly of willing the end, fewer quangos, without first understanding clearly how this can best be achieved – at what cost, and within what timeframe. The rationalisation and reduction in the number of State agencies should not be a populist move introduced at election time in order to win more votes. It should be seen as a responsibility of the public service, both to identify agencies that are wasteful and no longer required, and so ensure they can be closed quickly by government, and where new agencies – such as Irish Water and the Insolvency Service of Ireland – are needed to facilitate their establishment.