爱尔兰政治与经济unit 12

1、IrelandThe presidentThe governmentparliamentVoting and referendaThe civil serviceIrish legal system1.Ireland is a representative democracy.2.The structure of Irish government-the Irish Republic has a Prime Minister (Taoiseach) and a Deputy Prime Minister (appoints a cabinet to execute the daily busi

2、ness of government). The Parliament (Dail) enacts all legislation for the country. (This legislation is interpreted by a hierarchy of courts.) The laws are enforced by an unarmed police force, called the Garda Siochana (Guardians of the Peace). The government is headed by a President, who is elected

3、 directly by the people.3. The system of government is based on the American principle of checks and balances. Under the Constitution, the President (Uachtaran) is elected by the directvote of the people. Every citizen of 35 years of age or over is eligible to run for President. Every citizen who ha

4、s the right to vote in at an election for members of the Irish Parliament also has the right to vote at an election For President. The incumbent President of Ireland is Michael Daniel Higgins (Michel D. hUignn). The Presidents term of office is 7 years. A President can be reelected once only. The Pr

5、esident acts as a symbolic Head of State only and does not have Executive functions. And in its symbolic function the Irish Presidency perhaps is nearer to the status of the present Queen in England than to that of the President of the US. The Constitution can give the President certain powers that

6、make the President in effect the Guardian of the Constitution. (For instance, the President may under certain circumstances refer any proposed legislation to the Supreme Court for a decision as to whether it contains anything repugnant to the Constitution.) The President has one power which may requ

7、ire exercising his or her absolute discretion. This allows the President to refuse to dissolve the Dail on the advice of a Taiseach who has ceased to retain the support of a majority in the Dail. The executive powers of the State are exercised by, or on the authority of, the Government. The Constitu

8、tion provides that the Government shall consist of not less than 7 and not more than 15 members: all must be electedmembers of the Irish Parliament. The Government acts collectively and is responsible to the Dail or Irish Parliament. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President on the nomination

9、 of the Parliament. Thus the Prime Minister must emerge as an agreed candidate of the largest political party of the Parliament, or one that is agreed by a coalition of Parliament Parties, and must resign if he ceases to retain the support of a majority of members in the Parliament. The Prime Minist

10、er nominates one member of the government to be the Deputy Prime Minister (Tanaiste). He acts in place of the Prime Minister ifthe Prime Minister is temporarily absent or becomes incapacitated. The Prime Minister also appoints an Attorney General. Although not the member of the Government, the Attor

11、ney General acts as legal adviser to the Government and mayattend Cabinet meetings. His tenure of officeis normally coterminous with that of the Government.The ParliamentThe sole power of making laws for the state belongs to Irish Parliament.The Parliament of Ireland is comprised of 2 houses: the Da

12、il and the Senate. Government policy and administration may be examined and criticized in both Houses; but under the Constitution the government is responsible to the Dail alone.At present Irish Parliament has 166 members called Teachtai Dala (TDs). TDs have really 2 jobs. They must represent the re

13、gion which elected them, making themselves available there to hear personal representations from their constituents.The Senate was designed by the Constitution as a second House of Parliament in which specific issues could be considered and debated in conjunction with the Dail. Although its efficacy

14、 is under question today, the Senate was originally conceived as a second house which could serve to balance, and in certain circumstances, check the powers of the Dail.At present the Senate has 60 members. They differ from TDs insofar as Senators are not directly elected. 11 members are nominated d

15、irectly by the Prime Minister. 43 members are elected from 5 panels of candidates under different headings. Each panel consists of persons with knowledge and practical experience of the interests represented by the panel (such as that in agriculture, for instance). The remaining 6 members are electe

16、d by 2 universities-3 by National University of Ireland and 3 by the University of Dublin. Opportunities for the general public to vote arise in 5 separate decision-making procedures:-the election of the President (every 7 year).-Dail (or Parliament) elections (at least every 5 years).-referenda on

17、proposed Constitutional amendments (as they are called).-the election of representatives to the European Parliament (every 5 years).-elections to local authorities (usually every 5 yeas). Every resident citizen over the age of 18 years may vote at Dail, Presidential, local and European elections, an

18、d referenda. EU citizens may vote at European and local elections. All residents of Ireland, regardless of citizenship, may vote at local elections.The Civil Service is divided into 16 government departments, each headed by a Minister appointed by the Prime Minister. Ministers have the final respons

19、ibility for these areas. At present there are some 30000 people employed in the civil service.12Teachers and members of police force as well as of the Irish army, together with the staff of local authorities and of the health services, belong to the wider public service, rather than the civil servic

20、e proper.In accordance with most Western nations, justice is Administered in public in courts of law which are administered by a judge.Judges are appointed by the President on the advice of the Government.After each case has been made, the judge will sum up the arguments on both sides, and reach a j

21、udgment. But unlike America (and China), Ireland has abolished the death sentence.Varies of courts. Ireland is a small, open, trade-dependent economy. Its openness is reflected in the international mobility of its labor and capital. In recent decades, the Irish economy has been transformed from bein

22、g agrarian and having a traditional manufacturing based on the hi-tech and the internationally traded services.From its founding 1922 until the 1970s, the Ireland as an economy tended to be inward-looking, and concentrated on goals now seen to be futile, such as being self-sufficient. Predictably, t

23、he result of this protectionismwas high prices at home and a virtual stagnation of trade.over the last decade, unprecedented economic growth has seen the level of Irish real GNP almost double in size. The reason why it has had so much changes lies in followings. There was a population boom, so that the number of young people increased dramatically. 2. The reform of education meant that these young people were better educated and more aware of their options in life and better able to take them up. As a result of a radical change of attitudes, more women are also entering the workforce.