Infrastructural Imbalance and the Illegal Election

Two independent TDs, Finian McGrath and Catherine Murphy are challenging the legality of the election. You can see this story on unison (regisration required unless you have the swicher). The reason for the challenge is that the number of seats per constituency has not been changed to reflect their new bigger populations. In all there are up to 11 constituencies affected! Three quarters of a million people will effectively be disenfranchised and have a lesser democratic representation than the rest of the population if the election goes ahead as is.

Dublin North, Dublin West and East Meath are examples of disaffected constituencies. These are areas where people are fighting for vital infrastructure such as schools to follow the houses.

Dublin North has had its fair share of undesirable infrastructure dumping partly because it had no minister during the last government. Bertie never made Jim Glennon a minister so Glennon simply left. Under his watch the government plotted a super dump, super sewer and super prison for the area.

It now appears Dublin North is due five seats not four and the government who tried to ignore this until it went away could be sorry. If the constituencies are redone and new seats added the election would be thrown into utter chaos.

UPDATE: Constituencies Constitutional Challenge: Statement of Claim published