The Government is strangling local government. This is happening partly because of the Government's policy of reducing the income tax base. Through this lack of funding it is forcing unfair tax policies on local authorities while people are seeing a reduced level of local services. By reducing the powers of local authority members the Government is showing that it does not care about local government. With the abolition of the dual mandate the Government is casting local government adrift to irrelevance. At the same time it is getting rid of directly elected mayors and reducing the powers of councillors. The abolition of the dual mandate will mean that things will continue in this direction because the only true social democrats left in Fianna Fáil are those Oireachtas Members who are also county councillors. They, at least, are in touch with the issues on the ground.