Enough is enough with family voting habits

Dear Sir - Enough is enough. For too long, generations have followed the family voting habits; we have voted blindly for too long. If we are to improve the quality of political representation we must test candidates. A local candidate must be judged not by their party affiliation but on their record, policies and ability to best represent the people. We need a higher calibre of politician in this country. We will not fix the country or our political system overnight. We will not build good government from the top down; we must start with the foundation which is local politics. To rid this country of the gombeen politics will take time but better representation will come through the ranks if we elect accountable and competent people at the local level. To select the best person for the job, a candidate must be judged on their record, their policies and their ability to best represent the people. It is no longer good enough to turn up at a door with literature that consists only of a photograph, give a smile, handshake and ask for a vote. This is the lazy approach of someone who is not serious and unaware of the real situation. This is a local election, campaigning should not be on national issues where councillors have no remit. I believe a candidate must have polices that are within the remit of the office they are seeking. It is all too easy to speak about national issues and use the politics of fear; such an approach exposes a complete disrespect for the electorate and an attempt to distract from a candidate"s own record or worse still their misunderstanding of how the political system in Ireland works in a whole new light in Ireland. We must not lose belief in democracy because of the actions of some but believe we can say 'enough is enough" and vote for competency, accountability and transparency. Yours, Cllr Trevor Golden, Independent, Trim