From top: Fine Gael’s Director of Elections for the 2013 Seanad Abolition Referendum Richard Bruton (right) with Regina Doherty and Simon Harris on September 9, 2013; Dan Boyle
The constitutional referendum held in 2013 on the government’s proposal to abolish The Seanad was lost through indifference.
Certainly it wasn’t defeated by any overwhelming affection in which our second chamber of parliament was held. Less than 40% of voters participated in the referendum dividing on a 52% No 48% Yes vote (sound familiar?).
I took an active role in that campaign. As a former member of the Seanad I could see it had value, even if it has never operated to anything like its potential throughout its existence.
To be honest I much preferred my time as a Senator to that I had spent as a TD. I found the debates more engaging. I found the scrutiny of legislation to be more thorough. The pity is that too few Senators allow the Seanad to be the powerful parliamentary tool it can be.
The Seanad has been allowed to develop into a filter for the wider political system. A crèche for those not yet fully immersed in the ‘real’ World politics of the Dáil, a place of sanctuary for those left homeless by the Dáil electorate, or a rest home for those left battered by a system depriving them of being where they want to be.
I would say that about a fifth of the membership of The Seanad works to make the House a living, active parliamentary chamber it should be. For most of the others it is somewhere where prestige does not require responsibility.
This disconnect is something I sadly see being maintained through many of the candidates being presented to us, a privileged and select electorate, for the election to the next Seanad.
Since 1992 I have participated in every Seanad election (with the exception of 2007, my fallow period between being a TD and a Senator). Disappointingly, for the most part, there has been no great improvement in the calibre of many coming into the Seanad. That said after the 2016 election there have been a few flickers of light that this is beginning to change.
Due to changes we have seen in the composition of the Dáil itself, and before that as a result of the local elections in 2019, we are now likely see in the next Seanad a more diverse chamber than has ever existed to date.
However a more qualified membership of the Seanad will mean nothing unless it is accompanied by long avoided reform to The Seanad itself. The template for that change already exists. It is easily implementable. The coming government, however it is composed, should make it its priority.
A reformed Seanad should be mostly elected by the general public. The Taoiseach’s nominees (of which I was once one) should be maintained but on a smaller scale.
I would suggest no more than five nominees, whose purpose should not be to contrive a Seanad majority for the government of the day, but to help ensure that those elements of society not represented in the political system, begin to be so recognised.
We should place the election of the Seanad on a different electoral cycle to that of The Dáil, impeding the ability of those who seek to jump from one house with the expectation of being able to jump back to the other at the soonest possible opportunity.
When this happens, if this happens, I might be tempted to go back.
Dan Boyle is a former Green Party TD and Senator and serves as a Green Party councillor on Cork City Council. His column appears here every Thursday. Follow Dan on Twitter: @sendboyle
43 elected from five special panels of nominees
Each of the five panels consists, in theory, of individuals possessing special knowledge of, or experience in, one of five specific fields.
Seven seats on the Administrative Panel: Public administration and social services (including the voluntary sector).
Eleven seats on the Agricultural Panel: Agriculture and the fisheries.
Five seats on the Cultural and Educational Panel: Education, the arts, the Irish language and Irish culture and literature.
Nine seats on the Industrial and Commercial Panel: Industry and commerce (including engineering and architecture).
Eleven seats on the Labour Panel: Labour (organised or otherwise).
All of the above is from Wikipedia.
If ONLY these “experts” were actually experts, and not just favoured individuals by the various parties.
Tye reform I’d like to see is persons from the private sector who worked for years in the areas mentioned above being nominated for these positions and not party hacks.
But I don’t think this will ever happen, as this isn’t say… China.
please don’t
Dear Mr Boyle
Thank you for your expression of interest in the forthcoming nominations to Seanad Eireannn. Unfortunately, your name does not appear to be on Mr Ryan’s list for a sinecure when he is called to make up the numbers in the new FFG coalition.
Yours etc
M Martin @TaoisMeArse
How little you know about what my motivations are, how the Green Party works, or in fact about anything…..
Here Dan
Who have the Greens nominated and on what panels?
Ta in advance, V
Current Senator Pippa Hackett on Agriculture. Saoirse McHugh on Culture and Education and Pauline O’Reilly on Labour.
Its the Senate Election procedure that needs reform not the abolition the body, it should
be noted that Sinn Fein campaigned with the then Government to abolish the Senate and
when it was not, availed at every opportunity to get its members seats in it, in fact it became
a vital aspect in the party’s growth,
During the referedum campaign there was an narrative peddled by RTE that if we the people lost the Seanad we’d have less democracy, the Dáil you see would become too powerful with no seanad to hold it to account. A bold face lie, but it worked. Many voted to keep it out of fear.
Near a decade on from when I voted to rid ourselves of a chamber of self intersted charlatans, virtue signallers and sinecured failed politicians and what do we have? More of the same. FG never promised to reform it but people foolishly believed thats what would happen if they kept it. Nope. It wasn’t long before Enda stocked with his supporters who helped him stave off attacks from Bruton for party leadership. Plus ça change
Its a complete and utter waste of money. We should have another referendum on abolishing it, preferably held alongside a general election so theres a high turnout%.
Give us another say in abolishing it, the previous referendum was lost on the lie that it could be reformed.
It will never be reformed, there’s no incentive for any government to do so.
“The coming government, however it is composed, should make it its priority.”
It won’t be a priority, and they won’t reform it, surely you don’t believe that will happen Dan?
The seanad is a breeding ground for failed politicians with no effective control
Which is as bad as the Dail that is led by a petulant manchild who flings insults when he has nothing constructive to say