Engaging with the Oireachtas

Carl Gibney from Hume Brophy reflects on the political year and a better appreciation of time pressures can make lobbying more effective.

Whilst falling short (at the time of writing, at least) of offering up the maniacal joy of a general election, 2014 has been manna from heaven for political junkies. European, local and by-elections, high profile resignations, sackings, retirements and casualties (delete as appropriate) at ministerial, Secretary General and Garda Commissioner levels, reshuffles in Cabinet and junior ministerial ranks, changes in party leadership, Dáil sit-ins and expulsions, and a stream of controversies involving parties, personnel, policies, candidate selection and State board appointments have served up a tasting menu carousel of treats.

Add to this people in large numbers taking to the streets, airwaves and online on water charges which was allowed become the political pantomime of the year, complete with heroes, villains, crowd participation, stunts, chants, parodies and puns aplenty. It hasn’t been funny but it has been a spectacle.

It is against this tumultuous backdrop that we look back on the past year as one when an increasing number of people tuned into what’s happening in and around Leinster House. They were even occasionally transfixed by unfolding events. Whether a good or bad thing, at least they noticed politics.

This is an opportune time, then, to assess how we individually and collectively engage with the Oireachtas. Each of us has some relationship with the Oireachtas – whether it be a local constituency issue or a matter of importance to a sector in which you are professionally involved. Even by not voting, we have a relationship, albeit one of abstinence.

But are we really communicating effectively with those we have elected?

I ask this as, having walked the corridors of Leinster House for over 15 years either as a parliamentary assistant, ministerial adviser or as a public affairs consultant, I regularly witness inefficient use of both politicians’ and constituents’ or clients’ time.

Leaving aside the game-changing and welcome Registration of Lobbying Bill 2014, are people sufficiently respectful of time (and other) constraints placed upon TDs and senators? Do people even believe that politicians are swamped and stretched work-wise (which they are, by the way)? Do we understand – or care about – the mechanisms or the multitude of forces at play in terms of effecting change? Is adequate time spent exploring means of better using their own time and that of politicians (such as honing their message, simplifying their ‘ask’, identifying the correct point of contact, and mapping out feasible timeframes for activity)?

Former Governor of New York Mario Cuomo once said: “You campaign in poetry. You govern in prose.” To that, I would add: “And you lobby in phrases and phases.” By that I mean engagement that is short, systematic and with a schedule. Time is your biggest enemy but timing can be your best friend.

I speak to numerous people weekly who are unfamiliar with how the Dáil or Seanad operates. And, you know, they are okay with that. What’s more, their unfamiliarity stems not from feeling disaffected with modern-day politics. Rather, it’s just that their relationship with the Oireachtas – its personalities, processes and procedures – simply never had reason to develop. That is a systems failure in a functioning democracy.

To their credit, the communications unit and others in the Houses of the Oireachtas – and their counterparts across government departments and wider Civil Service – are to be commended for overhauling their information pipeline and channels in recent years TDs, senators, MEPs and councillors, too, are demonstrating an impressive command of social media to directly engage their constituents, media and other audiences.

The upcoming ‘Engaging with the Oireachtas’ workshops are an opportunity for all of us who interact in some way with our national politicians to discuss what works and what doesn’t. For a more efficient parliament, we need to be more efficient in our engagement with its members. A good start would be the demystification of Parliament’s constituent parts, gaining a greater appreciation of an Oireachtas member’s daily schedule, and achieving a clearer understanding on how best to navigate what remains a labyrinthine system.