The Irish Aristocracy

"Tánaiste Mary Coughlan said that dynasty politics was practical because of an inbuilt reputation. “They know you understand the system and are accustomed to how it works. You know the life and have the contacts,” she said. In other political systems this is known as an aristocracy. An inherent-ocracy produces a political generation where safe constituencies immunise political leadership from the necessity to inspire debate because of the assumption of automatic re-election."-- Elaine Byrne, Irish Times