Dr. Elaine Byrne:

The Irish system is very robust. The unintended consequence, as Des O’Malley and others have pointed out, is that it is so heavily regulated that it is very difficult for new political parties or entities to make a mark. I have spoken to general secretaries of the political parties and many of them model their political funding systems on the Gaelic Athletic Association, GAA. Before President Obama was doing it, the political parties here were deriving the majority of their funding from small donations from many members. Most people would be surprised at how much money political parties receive from membership fees, national draws and dinners. The problem is that the public does not see it, and only sees the gaps between the disclosed and undisclosed money. This creates a problem.

It is not just about having good legislation but about political leadership and the culture that exists. Ireland has some of the best legislation in the world around political funding. Approximately six months after a corruption tribunal reported adverse findings regarding a wealthy businessman, the Taoiseach was ringing a bell with him. That sent a message to people. Instead of the Taoiseach standing up, he sat back and rang a bell. While we can have great legislation, when the public sees there are no consequences and that there are different rules and regulations for different people, it creates an unfair perception.