Seanad Eireann

[Supermanpolitician]

What can he do there only make up the count, its obscene,Its Dail reform that is needed

Scrap the Seanad and reduce the number of TDs to 100.

[I'mVeryGladYouAskedMeThat]

What can he do there only make up the count, its obscene,Its Dail reform that is needed

Maybe this is what George Lee got so steamed up about.

[Casualbets]

Not so sure about 'existing vocational Panels', that is jargon for old world static public service; all 60 candidates could be elected by popular vote, our senators should represent the citizen only, no more partisan gridlock.

Sorry, what I meant was that each panel be elected by a full popular vote - each citizen would be entitled to choose which panel they wish to be electors for (an alternative is that voters could choose a fixed number of panels). Seats for each panel to be re-allocated maybe on a five yer basis depending on the electorate declared for each panel.

[Casualbets]

My understanding is that they can although this very rarely happens.

In order to make it more democratic we should extend the franchise to all those who have a Dail vote...but then you just end up having it as a second chance, a Europa League of politics, if you will.

Absolutely... one (wo)man/one vote.... And national constituencies....

[Rocky]

What can he do there only make up the count, its obscene,Its Dail reform that is needed

If nothing else more people would be listening to him when he talks.

However you do have a point.

[turdsl]

Scrap the Seanad and reduce the number of TDs to 100.

That is not Dail reform, keep the numbers reduce their salaries OK, TDs should have more freedom to raise issues either in the Dail or through a committee system,Governments when they get into power do not want that, Whats the betting that Enda will not come into the Dail on Thursdays, something Bertie started and found very handy,

[Tomas Mor]

If anyone is in any doubt about the uselessness of the Senate, two things come to mind. (1) Terry Leyden's outrageous attack on Fintan O Toole on Wed last 12th.May in which he accused O Toole of inciting those who tried to storm the Dail. In fact O Toole was not at the Dail. This was aired on George Hook programme on 13th.May. Cowardly Leyden would not repeat his allegations without cover of Dail Privilege. (2) Senato Diarmuid Wilson's (Cavn) outrageous attack on new regulator Elderfield in matter of Quinn group alsop about a week ago. It was as bad as Ned O Keeffe's attack in same vein. Those cowards say things under privilege and have not decency to withdraw them. Leyden made a similar attack on DPP re bringing Stroke Fahy to court, but he had to come back to senate and apologise.

[straightalk]

The hubris of Fine Gael 'revolutionaries' is nauseating, anything to distract from their abject failure in opposition to usurp this vile FF/G government: their culpability is manifest in their complacency.

Abolitionism is reactionary knee-jerk baloney, throwing the babe out with the bathwater. The Senate should be made fit for purpose not disestablished - honestly who comes up with this ill-thought-out populist sh*t??

Just more evidence that the polarised disfunctional Legislative Estate is riven by partisanship - why can't the 166 members of the other House just park their differences and work together.

The proposed referendum is baloney and should be opposed by all right thinking members of society.

It's broke but we can fix it.

I agree that the notion of abolishing the Seanad is a knee-jerk reaction. We do need a system of checks and balances. The 166 deputies are now 163 because of the government's abject failure to call timely by-elections in Donegal, Dublin and Waterford. It is nothing short of disgraceful to deny people in those constituencies the right to full participation in the Dáil.