Local vs General Election

I am not very good at politics, could someone tell me what is the difference between voting for a candidate/councillor
In the local elections and voting for a candidate in the general election?
Why must a councillor be aligned to a political party?

Ummm, am hoping this is at least a bit of sarcasm? The difference between the two is that general elections elect to the Dáil, local elections elect to the councils. There is neither a requirement or a prohibition on people being members of parties in either the Dáil or in councils. In general political alignment in most councils tends to give way to pragmatism and collegiality, particularly in the smaller councils. The ludicrous situation we have though is enough people vote in local elections based on "punishing" the incumbent government, rather than on local issues, that local election results are considered a weathervane measuring Dáil performance.

From a candidates perspective in local elections, there are advantages to being in a party. Transfer votes (2nd and 3rd preferences) tend to run along party lines. You have an existing support mechanism in place in terms of organising your campaign to get elected. You have a greater option of progression into national politics if that is what you aim to do.

Thanks, it's not sarcasm. So what decisions do local electorates do? I am assuming these are all councillors when elected. It does seem odd though that TD's do not do what the electorate people want but do as the party whip wants.
Also where do Senators fall into this?

I think this pretty much sums up politics in this country. A lot (majority) don't really know what all the politicians actually do.

I would consider myself to be relatively informed - not to the last detail but have a general understanding of what's going on and can give an opinion on the main issues affecting the country.

I know what the TD's claim to do. I know what a councty council does but I have no idea what the actual councillors do and why we need so many of them. I know they "run" the county councils and makes decisions but I could't tell you one key decision my county councillors have made or voted on.

Key decisions like property tax/water etc are all centralised so apart from running the parks and environment and granting social housing? I'm not sure what they do.

http://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/government_in_ireland/
You are a voter and presumably a taxpayer. You should ensure that you are fully aware on the powers you are giving to those you elect. Cleck the above website for core information on the topic!

roker said:

Thanks, it's not sarcasm. So what decisions do local electorates do? I am assuming these are all councillors when elected. It does seem odd though that TD's do not do what the electorate people want but do as the party whip wants.
Also where do Senators fall into this?

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Those elected to the councils are responsible for the council budget and provision of council services - such as social housing, libraries, local road maintenance, municipal waste disposal, etc. They will not be the people delivering the actual service but they are the ones that direct it. If you want to have a look at how the councils spend their money you could do worse than look at this site http://localauthorityfinances.com/

TD's and Senators deal with, or should be dealing with national issues and are responsible for representing their constituents at national level if they are TDs - hence the reason for constituency practices. You should be able to access your TDs and represent to them your views. Senators are elected by a different means. In theory it is supposed to be a house of experts in specific fields (academia, industry, labour, agriculture, culture and public administration) providing a deeper knowledge to contribute expertise to debates on new laws. In practice it has been heavily politicised and roundly abused by governments.
- 11 are appointed by the Taoiseach (Bertie was fond of using that privilege to appoint old cronies who had failed to get elected as TDs)
- 6 are elected by NUI and TCD graduates (this is to be extended to all 3rd level graduates)
- The other 43 are elected by TDs, senators and councillors from panels of candidates who can only be nominated by Oireachtas members and specific nominating bodies.

On your point about them following the party whip rather than their electors, how would you propose they proceed if they need to consult the electorate for every vote they have to take? It would be utterly unworkable if for every vote that has to be taken in Dáil Éireann each TD had to hold a plebiscite in their constituency to check how they should vote. Generally they will follow their own assessment of the situation. They are not obliged to follow the party whip, they can, as for example Lucinda Creighton did, opt to vote against their own party's position despite the party whip and then the party can decide whether to allow that or to expel them. No party can expel them from the Dáil, they can only expel them from their own party. In practice TD's can and do vote against their own party's position, the party whip does not always apply. In general though, they are likely to reason the same way as their party colleagues, hence the reason they are in the same party. Chances are the people that elected them will also likely reason the same way - hence the reason they voted for them or their party.

Thanks all, it clarifies a few points. so-crates; I see your point about not being able to contact their constituency, but then again if it was a union they could not do anything without a mandate from their members, the whip is used to force an issue through, and on occasions is taken very seriously if disobeyed, as Lucinda Creighton was.

In comparing unions and the Dáil, you must consider scalability, cost and time.
In any one day, the Dáil might have three, four or more votes relating to the same or various different issues.
There is approximately one TD for every 25,000 citizens.

roker said:

Thanks all, it clarifies a few points. so-crates; I see your point about not being able to contact their constituency, but then again if it was a union they could not do anything without a mandate from their members, the whip is used to force an issue through, and on occasions is taken very seriously if disobeyed, as Lucinda Creighton was.

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It was taken seriously by FG, yes. However, she still sits as a TD in the Dáil, she still participates fully in the functions of the Dáil (don't confuse the Government and the Dáil, one of the functions of the Dáil is to challenge the government of the day). As her party was in government, in addition to being expelled by her party, the Taoiseach expelled her from the government cabinet. Technically she could have continued in her ministerial position without remaining in FG but as the appointment of ministers (though not approval) is a role of the Taoiseach it was his decision whether she could remain in government. Having been expelled by her party it would have been highly unusual for her to remain a minister.