Sir, – Des Gunning argues that meaningful thresholds for participation in Dáil Éireann would help provide, inter alia, improved infrastructure planning and provision (Letters, March 29th).
He should be careful what he wishes for. Israel originally required a party to achieve at least 1.5 per cent of all votes cast nationally in order to get elected to its 120-seat Knesset (parliament). This was recently raised to 3.25 per cent with the intention that the influence of micro-parties and single-issue candidates would be reduced. Instead the opposite happened as groups and parties that were traditionally at loggerheads were obliged to coalesce in order to reach the higher threshold and win seats.
Unfortunately, thanks to the law of unintended consequences, such groups now have more power than ever before. – Yours, etc,
KARL MARTIN,
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Bayside,
Dublin 13.
