A Study of Ireland’s First-Time TDs

1 INTRODUCTION ' … those elected to public office are expected to possess indefinable qualities to accomplish an indescribable job' (Coghill et al. 2008a, p. 74). Life as a TD 1 is no ordinary life. It is unlike any other career or profession in terms of the responsibilities associated with it; the varied skills it entails; the broad range of competencies it requires; and, the multi-faceted demands it makes of individuals. Although Article 15 of Bunreacht na hÉireann 2 outlines the core functions of the Irish Houses of the Oireachtas, 3 the minutiae of the TD's day-today role is not explicitly detailed here. The job description may be vague, however, it is broadly accepted that a TD performs three key roles: law-making, scrutiny of government and constituency work (Coakley and Gallagher 2010). To be deemed suitable for public office, TDs are not obliged to have specific qualifications or training. There is no clear job description which attaches to the role. The criteria for judging the success of a parliamentarian in fulfilling their roles and duties are related solely to a TD's future electoral fortunes and are rarely judged according to any other measures. And yet politicians are charged with directing and overseeing the business of the state and making decisions of fundamental importance to all of society. Simultaneously, there is a growing and broader realisation that being a 1 Teachta Dála (TD) is the Irish term for a member of Dáil Éireann, also referred to as a Dáil Deputy. 2 Bunreacht na hÉireann is the Irish term for the Irish Constitution. 3 The Irish Oireachtas comprises the two houses, Dáil Éireann (Irish Parliament) and Seanad Éireann (Irish Senate), and the President of Ireland. The Dáil possesses the largest number and variety of powers. parliamentarian constitutes a profession in its own right (see Saalfeld 1997 and Costa and Kerrouche 2009). If this is so, it begs some questions and considerations as to the detail and demands of that profession. The professionalisation of parliamentarians is taking place in tandem with an increasingly complex contemporary political, economic and media environment. In Ireland, this has been especially so since the onset of the financial crisis in 2008. Public disenchantment with the institutions of the state has grown in response to the perceived failings of the political class in dealing effectively with this new and difficult environment. The dramatic outcome of the 2011 Irish General …