Senator or Councillor - which is better?

[the agent]

watching the senate elections with interest, and I am wondering about all the chat regarding how a senate seat is a great springboard for the Dail. I am not so sure about this. If you are a CLLR you have a great way to build a profile in local papers, after all, politics is local as they say. As a Senator you are removed from the local scene, you are seen as a person in sheltered accomadtion, getting a big salary and in an office that really has no relevance to many people. Look at the recent general election, far more councillors were elected than senators that put their names forward.

Ok, as a senator you can become fulltime and not worry about the day job, but if I had an issue locally that needed attention, I would go to my TD or local cllr than a senator. The senate really is an exclusive club, and that is why so many want to be in it. But I think if you have Dail ambitions you are better off slogging away in the Council than been in the senate.

Have you any views on this???

[AndrewM]

It depends on a variety of factors.

If the party is in government, a Senator is more powerful as they are a member of the Parliamentary Party and can deliver projects to their constituency. Not in a gombeen way, but in having access to the Programme Manager and researchers etc.

Is there a decent council replacement available? If the co-optee is ************************e then it kinda undoes all the good work that the Senator will do, and will lose the seat in 2009. Hardly a good start to their 2012 campaign!

Does the councillor need a salary to remain in politics fulltime? Fulltime Cllr v fulltime Senator may be equal, but parttime Cllr v fulltime Senator is not.

Does the councillor have the chance to acheive anything by remaining in the council? If they are in a minority, and have little they can campaign on [with a good chance of success] in their ward, then its kinda useless.

Difficult to add up and make a decision on.

[Keith-M]

I'd love to see someone do the maths on this. Exactly what percentage of Senators who stood in the election were actually elected.

For me, the senate is an unnecessary, undemocratic and expensive talking shop.

[AndrewM]

I'd love to see someone do the maths on this. Exactly what percentage of Senators who stood in the election were actually elected.

For me, the senate is an unnecessary, undemocratic and expensive talking shop.

26 stood, 14 were elected.

[Keith-M]

I'd love to see someone do the maths on this. Exactly what percentage of Senators who stood in the election were actually elected.

For me, the senate is an unnecessary, undemocratic and expensive talking shop.

26 stood, 14 were elected.

THanks, any idea how many were newcomers to the Dail?

[gaillimh]

main benefit of

cllr-you're there 24/7

senator-you can speak on all issues in any part of the constituency with annoying party colleagues (if one is a party td)

[FutureTaoiseach]

Councillor. Cllrs tend to perform better in General Elections - examples in the past 2 elections of this happening include Lucinda Creighton, Leo Varadkar, Tim O'Malley, Fiona O'Malley, and Noel Grealish. Likewise examples of the Seanad not always being a step-up to a Dail career include Brendan Daly, John Minihan, John Dardis, and Tom Morrissey.

[rockofcashel]

yes, but three of four of the examples you put forward were PD's .. a party the public simply didn't like.. if those three were councillors, they still wouldn't have got within an asses roar of being elected..

see Richie Molloy and Peadar O Donnell in Tipp South

[Defeated Romanticist]

Former Senators Timmy Dooley and Martin Mansergh used their seanate seats for the appropriate purpose...getting elected to the Dail.Any Senator wishing get elected ought to replicate those two men. Ideally a senator should use his seat as something to und his Dail campaign. Or else they shouldn't sun for the Dail at all.

[DOD]

It depends really. While it is good from a prestige point of view, the exclusivity of the electorate means it has limited relevance in constituency politics. To that extent, being a county or city councillor would be more helpful.