A new - and welcome - dimension has been added by the Taoiseach to the start of the political season. At a public consultation meeting of the Task Force on Active Citizenship in Croke Park he said a healthy democracy depends on the extent to which citizens are engaged in the issues that affect them.
Mr Ahern has established the taskforce "to inform the Government on ways in which it can encourage greater participation, locally and nationally, and to advise us on measures that contribute to the development of strong, civic-minded independent citizens". The taskforce is holding extensive consultations and plans to issue its report within nine months. It should be available before the forthcoming general election, since public debate on the issues involved would be enhanced, not diminished, if they became part of the campaign.
Mr Ahern believes many people are concerned that Ireland has become "more materialised, maybe even more selfish," so that "for all our new wealth, we are much the poorer". It is a thoughtful point, which identifies a real trend in Irish society. If that is so, the reasons why should be debated. Public policy often encourages such trends - by individualising taxation, or creating social conditions which deprive people of the time they need for voluntary work. Poor public transport and longer commuting times arising from ribbon development contribute to that. Ireland now has some of the longest working hours and fewest public holidays of all EU states.
Active citizenship requires adequate democratic structures and incentives if it is to flourish. The failure of local government reform to match social and demographic change means there is a growing mis-match between them, especially in Dublin. That diminishes political identification. A better relationship between local government and local taxation would encourage greater civic participation. At national level the same applies. If more people are removed from the tax net, do they not become less inclined to participate in public affairs? Is a low level of civic engagement not a natural corollary of Ireland's low tax and low spend social model?
Growing inequality also impoverishes voluntary participation and active citizenship spanning different communities. It tends to increase social bonding within groups and reduce bridging between them. The results can be seen in the growing social separatism of housing developments and in education. The distinctive egalitarianism that has been a feature of Ireland's civic republican tradition is being diminished. Some of the same processes are at work in our encounter with multiculturalism. We need more ways to create bridges between older and newer, richer and poorer citizens and residents.
It would be wrong to exaggerate these trends. Volunteerism remains very much alive in Ireland's civil society and is relatively high compared to other states. Political parties are one of the great repositories of volunteerism. They would do themselves and the voters a favour by making the subject an issue in the election.