Should all politicians have competent irish ???

Question

this is for the person too stupid to know this is the ireland section... when i say all i'm refering to all irish politicians

just to clarify for said fool... that would be all politicians in ireland

Answer 1

Yes, they should.

Answer 2

Yes definitely,they're representing our country so they should be able to use our national language. I also think they should use it more often as it might help encourage others too.

Answer 3

no i don't see why they should,sure everyone can understand english

Answer 4

Yes, all politicians throughout the 32 counties should have competency Gaeilge, as this is one of our national languages.

Answer 5

That wasn't guaranteed until the Official Languages Act of 2003 though was it? I don't know how I feel about it. I mean - it seems a little artificial...

Answer 6

It's a bonus, and a must for anyone representing a Gaeltacht,  and I have to admit that I'm more comfortable with their having some Irish, but otherwise, I'm not so sure.  We have looked inward for so many years, maybe now we should be looking outward more -to say nothing of extending a hand of friendship to our neighbours in the North - it would be good to encourage them to reach out and take it some day.

The Belgians have two official languages, the Swiss and South Africans three, and I don't believe anyone in public life in those countries is required to be competent in them all.  It's better to build bridges than to build barriers, and recognising the equal status of English as more than just a majority everyday language is one of those bridges.

For what it's worth,  we should also remember that a fair number of those who fought and worked for our independence had only a little, and in some cases almost no, Irish.

Answer 7

Yes. In Ireland there are two official languages, Irish and English. Therefore you are entitled to any governmental service in Irish be it a driving test or a court case. You are also entitled to deal with your local politician in Irish.