Sir, - Not for the first time, Garret FitzGerald (Opinion, July 24th), claims that the level of local councillor membership of the Oireachtas is a problem for our parliamentary system.
His assertion that "only a minority of people who have something worthwhile to offer in politics at national level will have . . . the inclination to engage in local politics" is a sad reflection of our former Taoiseach's view of local government. I always believed that public office, whether at local or national level, is about service. I still do. Perhaps Dr FitzGerald does not agree. Even though he served as leader of an Irish Government on two occasions, local government reform does not feature high on his list of achievements.
In seeking to divide these two branches of government, Dr FitzGerald puts forward the view that new restrictions should be placed on local authority members. He seeks to prevent these Irish citizens from representing their fellow citizens in the Houses of the Oireachtas. Strangely, this did not seem to stop Dr FitzGerald contesting several general elections with local councillors from his own party. However, mature reflection is always a useful weapon.
Of course, many of us might argue that there are are too many economists, barristers, and university lecturers in the Oireachtas. Much as we might like to, we do not, however, seek to restrict the right of those involved to seek election to the national parliament. Democracy is about choice and any society that claims to be a democratic republic must ensure that the maximum choice remains with the electorate.
Dr FitzGerald would be more helpful if he would use his weekly platform and considerable persuasive skills to seek the extension of powers for our system of local government.
The democratic choice of who will and who will not be selected to represent citizens must remain with the electorate and not some selectorate of commentators from "on high". Sometimes that might even mean that a mere councillor will share the same constituency as a college educated economist. But isn't democracy a wonderful thing? - Yours, etc.,
Cllr Dermot Lacey, Beech Hill Drive, Donnybrook, Dublin 4.