Organisers of the March4Tipp campaign say that many people have been calling for a different kind of representation at Council level. Many of the concerns arise from Councillors supporting measures that are negative for the town, or failing to secure Council supports for the town in terms of employment and the local economy.
Some have commented that local democracy is “broken” when the Councillors seem to decide whatever they want, regardless of what people think. For example, some Davitt Street residents received written and oral assurances from Councillors that the loss of parking spaces would not go ahead, only for the same Councillors to vote in favour or the work three months later. People are complaining that there is a lack of accountability from Councillors and that party politics seem to be more important than the interests of the area and its communities.
Suggestions have been made that a number of candidates should be put forward in the Local Elections, which will take place on 24 May next. Whilst there is no clear proposal at this stage, the key suggestion appears to be that there should be a number of Councillors elected, who are not aligned with any political party and who would work together to represent the interests of the people in the area.
Another suggestion that has been put forward is that any Councillors elected in this way would enter into an agreement to vote en bloc and only support measures that are agreed to be in the interests of Tipperary Town and the wider West Tipperary Area. The suggestions for an “Independent Tipperary” group of Councillors have been so frequently put forward that the March4Tipp Group has decided to call for ideas as to how this model of local democracy could be implemented in time to have candidates elected in May this year.
"Our basic mantra is that there is no place for mainstream party politics at this level”
Such models have existed successfully in the UK. One Somerset town ditched political parties entirely and elected 17 independents. The aim in the town of Frome (population 25,000), was
“taking political power at a local level, then using it to enable people to have a greater say in the decisions that affect their lives”
Using the term “flatpack democracy”, due to its DIY nature, locals declared the process an excellent success.
In Tipperary Town and the wider area, the window for trying this more direct model of democracy is narrow, with the elections taking place in May. Therefore, the March4Tipp Group are calling for ideas and suggestions on the following:
- Suggested candidate requirements (non-political etc);
- Suggested candidate selection process;
- Organisation of election campaign;
- Methods for ensuring cooperation between successful candidates;
- Methods for consultation between successfully elected candidates and their constituents; and
- Any other relevant ideas
Ideas can be submitted by email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or by message to the March4Tipp Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/march4tipp/
The organisers are seeking any ideas as soon as possible, so a management group can be assembled to drive the process forward in time for the elections.
