Ireland has, easily, the most limited local decision making in western Europe and doesn't fare well in wider international comparisons either.
Speculation about an imminent general election will mount as Brexit D-day looms, but it is worth remembering that voters will definitely be going to the polls on May 24th this year for the local and European Parliament elections. Voters will also be deciding on the referendum to ease divorce restrictions and, in a small number of areas, voters will also get to vote on the creation of directly elected mayors.
Ireland has, easily, the most limited local decision making in western Europe and doesn't fare well in wider international comparisons either. Local authorities have few revenue raising powers and are responsible for a small number of policy areas. Voters know this and average turnout at local elections is just 58% since 1967. The corresponding figure for general elections is 71%.
It is often stated that Fianna Fáil did well in the 2014 local elections. This is an analysis that includes a lot of contextual evaluation. It was the party's lowest local election vote in decades, but it was a notable improvement on its 2011 general election performance. The polls have the party trending under its 2014 local election result so Fianna Fáil will be aiming to push its support higher in the next three months.
Spotting future stars Voters may not be fully engaged with local elections, but parties put a lot of effort and resources into these contests. The main reason being that local government provides an important pipeline of candidates for general elections. There are limits on the amount of money that a candidate can spend at the election and these vary depending on the number of councillors to be elected in each area but the maximum amount in the biggest LEAs was €13,000 in 2014. In many ways, beginning a political career at local level is much more manageable than entering politics at a general election.
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