Future generations would have to see politics which worked and was free of scandals, the former Labour Party leader, Mr Dick Spring TD, told the Burren Law School Conference.
The current scandal being investigated by the Flood tribunal was probably a watershed in Irish politics, Mr Spring said, and although a number of politicians and journalists had tried to undermine its workings, it was going to lead to new rules and policies.
"I think we are only getting the tip of the iceberg in relation to these donations and what is happening in political life. It is sad in some respects that it has to come down to tribunals to bring standards on politicians, but there were no standards, quite frankly. There were no rules and regulations about spending," he said. Ultimately, there would be no more corporate contributions to politics.
He was in favour of State funding of political parties, while donations should be capped, open and transparent. He was angry about the money paid to the bigger parties, which ended up with all the resources and money. "As a matter of principle, it was a corrupting influence in politics," he said.
The other issue was the question of reform. He believed party leaders should get together and discount the independent TDs because of their disproportionate influence. Party backbenchers had nothing like the clout of the independents.
Politicians were under-resourced despite the headlines of the expenses they claimed, he added. "I would settle for far fewer politicians if they were better resourced. But how do you tell that to the 60 who are not coming back?" he said.
He believed the Seanad had not lived up to its original expectations of being an institution for reviewing the workings of the Dail. "I believe very strongly people should not be seen on the county council and seen in Dail Eireann or Seanad Eireann at the same time," he said. Multi-seat constituencies should be changed and he was in favour of a single-seat constituency arrangement.
He was in favour of a partial list system. "We need a certain number of people to serve in government who do not need to keep looking over their shoulder," he said.
He was unsure whether he had ever come across a politician who had said he wanted to be a great legislator, despite it being the main responsibility of a TD under the Constitution.
The three outstanding Labour TDs in the Dail between 1977 and 1981 had been Frank Cluskey, the party leader, John Horgan and Ruairi Quinn, but all three had lost their seats in the 1981 election. ail performance and electoral returns, he said.
The electorate was far more interested in TDs being available in their constituencies, and their perceived influence was related to whether the TD's party was in power and what position he held.