Letterkenny man’s new book envisions a fresh approach to democracy in Ireland

A Letterkenny man has released a book inspired by his idea of an ideal democratic situation in Ireland.

Gerry McKeever has released his book entitled Saving Democracy: A Proactive Plan. This is the second book Gerry has published following the release of Benocracy – Democracy’s Last Chance, in 2021. The Letterkenny barber has a keen interest in democracy and politics and also ran as an independent candidate in the 2024 general election.

Speaking to DonegalLive, Gerry explains that his latest book details not only his idea of a new political party in Ireland, but also a proactive plan for how this could be set up. He also hopes the book appeals to people “who give a damn and have a social conscience” who may be willing to turn their attention towards democratic affairs.

The book details a manifesto with potential policies, covering areas such as law and order, infrastructure, cost of living and Irish sovereignty.

Gerry explains that he would like to bring together independent politicians and people who have a proven track record in getting things done for their communities.

“I think if a party like that got together in the next 10 months, you could force a general election in the next 12 to 14 months and possibly lead the country to a far better place,” says Gerry. “That’s the motivation, that’s the drive. I can see a better way.”

While Gerry says his ideas were there for his first book five years ago, it was a sense of “urgency” that spurred him to write a second book with a proactive plan.

“I wrote my first book called Benocracy and I called it that because it’s benevolent democracy,” says Gerry. “People who know how to run a good business, good people. The book five years ago is more about the idea - this book is the idea plus a proactive plan for how to get it going.

“The problem we have coming up to election time is how can we tell who’s genuine and who’s not genuine. The genuine people would probably be more meek and quiet. I’m looking for people who have proven in the past that they’re good people. I’d like for those people to get the grasp of the book, a party with a plan and design.”

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Gerry put himself forward in the general election partly due to his belief that national and local issues go hand in hand, and says he would have liked to bring his ideas to Dublin.

“A lot of people want things fixed in their own areas, but I don’t think you can fix things like law and order in Letterkenny if you don’t fix it nationally.

“There are so many ways to run things. Look at other European countries and cherry pick ideas that are working. I’m not looking about reinventing the wheel, I’m looking at proper, clean democracy. For instance, modular housing is used all over Europe in cold climates and it’s half the price of block. We could be building those to meet demand. We can do this, it’s not naive. If the right people are in charge it can be done.”

Saving Democracy: A Proactive Plan is now available on Amazon and at The Bookmark.