As a proud American, I can acknowledge, if not always am infatuated with the fact that a municipal government can produce meaningful change in the lives of its constituents. Now, this idealized vision of municipal government might be a tad drawn out of proportion due to my Parks and Recreation fandom, but it would appear on its facade that the Republic of Ireland would appear to give more legislative/political weight to the federal governments as opposed to more of a localized strain of government outreach. For a nation smaller in size and population than the state of Wisconsin, it wouldn't be farcical to suggest that power should be more centralized as opposed to the American style of federalism.
Nonetheless, I found the hospitality of the Dublin City Council to be incredible for a group of students who likely won't be concerned too much about the state of Dublin City Hall following the trip (my apologies for the blatant pessimism here in Dublin's municipal government). The building itself was beautifully constructed and maintained, reminding me almost of that of an ancient bank with its classical architecture style. The fact that we collectively got to meet the former Lord Mayor of Dublin - the actual leader of the city - was critical for the presentation in identifying political trends of the Dublin City Council and where exactly Mr. Lacey stood in relation to current political strife on the council.
The classical exterior of Dublin City Hall harkens back to ancient financial institutions in Main-Street districts dotting the United States. (I don't know, just a basic concept and observation I can link back to the motherland.)
I thought the joint presentation (I forget the name of the woman who did most of the formal presenting, unfortunately) was very informative and transcended the basics necessary to understand the municipal government of Dublin. From an American standpoint, I found it incredibly interesting for a city council representing a little under 600,000 Dubliners to have approximately 63 seats on the Dublin City Council. While I believe strongly in a republican system of governance, I believe that a larger city like Dublin -- or any city for that matter -- arguably does not need this many seats for proper governance. Instead, I believe a municipal government can run more efficiently and with less gridlock with a smaller number of elected officials on the council. Additionally, my relative indoctrination of being an American accustomed to American municipal governments has also rendered an opinion of mine that would argue that elected offices of the Dublin City Council -- including the Lord Mayor -- should be nonpartisan. While any functioning (or non-functioning) city council will see its fair share of quarrels in governance and individual political opinions brought into the fray, a nonpartisan city council could allow for constituents to feel closer to their representatives and freer from political alienation. A nonpartisan city council, simply put, does not need to be beholden to partisan differences; a city council is meant to address more focal and less ideological issues within a city's borders that need not be damned to hell and extended in gridlock and problem-solving issues that partisan officials would irrefutably bring about.
The location of our joint presentation given in part by the former Lord Mayor of Dublin! (Oh, and also where the Dublin City Council regularly meets for operations.)
I also thought it was interesting to hear Mr. Lacey address his thoughts on the federal government's overreach over the Dublin City Council and political parties in the city council. It appears that the Dublin City Council, on its own independent structure, does not exercise much power over their constituents relative to the federal government. The prime example of this practice was that of the federal government blocking City Council actions on bussing in the city, in particular with bus stops. Unfortunately, I don't quite remember the exact policy or actions undertaken, but as a whole, I find it alarming for parent governments of any nature (like the state of Wisconsin dictating municipal policy over Madison or Milwaukee, for example) to dictate policymaking issues that could solely be the responsibility of municipal governments. It wouldn't make sense for a member of the Dail from Cork, Galway, or Kilkenny to establish certain policy initiatives on public transportation for a city they don't represent, so I would appreciate if a municipality would have the proper legal authority to make their own laws, and not a federal government if at all necessary. With the system of single transferable vote throughout Ireland, it was interesting for Mr. Lacey to report that many Dubliners would abstain from offering their second/third votes for the Sinn Fein and Green parties of Ireland, especially given the left-wing political slant. While I myself would not vote for these parties either (after taking the ISideWith quiz online, I have come to the conclusion that I would support the Fine Gael party when it comes to Irish politics), it was nice to have a seasoned veteran of Dublin municipal politics to offer his mind on why some parties can prosper and others falter when it comes to courting voters.
The state-of-the-art rotunda of the Dublin City Hall. While nowhere near as big, the rotunda relates in influence to the United States Capitol and even the Wisconsin State Capitol.
The mystical, lionizing sculpture of Thomas Davis. Davis was an influential writer of Irish politics who argued for the Young Ireland movement advocating for a republican form of government. He was only 30 at the time of his death to scarlet fever, but his legacy has obviously lived on in the city of Dublin.
Our visit to Dublin City Hall was short but informative, offering a first-hand account on the vitality of municipal government in the Republic of Ireland. I personally would have liked the visit to include a tour of the building for curiosity purposes, but I found the presentation adequate enough to understand the history of the building and what it entails to all Dubliners today. The lessons learned on our Dublin City Hall visit accentuated just how essential and crucial politics and government is to Dublin and all other Irish citizens in the effect that public participation and political opinions are shared rampantly and openly in society -- a trait that America itself could benefit more from. Ultimately, it is up to our current and future generations to buck the trend of refraining from associating or even conversing with others who hold unparallel political opinions and beliefs, to create a more inclusive society of open debate and understanding, and to create more civic understanding of the American political systems and all of its ideals.
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