One of the most serious charges against the Irish political system throughout the history of the state has been its parochialism.  A near-unique voting system has traditionally incentivised elected representatives to deliver on local issues for their constituents to get re-elected. Political focus on national and international issues has long suffered as a result. The ‘implementation deficit disorder’ remains as problematic as ever, including on the biggest domestic issues that most concern voters, such as housing and healthcare. In the past, the upside of localism in Irish politics was that it kept elected representatives close to voters. Having to deliver…

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