Tag Archives: Seanad Reform

seand reform

The findings are in.

‘The Government has too much control over the Seanad for it to be effective. Political parties have too much control over the nomination and election of senators and the Seanad is used as a creche for novice politicians and/or a safety net for failed election candidates. The Seanad should be an effective check on the Dáil and Government and different strands of Irish society should be represented better in the Seanad….’

Oh yes.

Oliver Moran, of 2nd Republic, writes:

I thought your readers might be interested to know that we have submitted the findings of the public survey we held on Seanad reform to the Government working group on Seanad reform. Over 1200 people took part in the end. Above is a a textual representation of the combination of all the public responses. You can read the results in full at the link below.
Thanks a lot for your help. And thanks to your readers and everyone who took part too. Broadsheet readers made up an estimated 15% of all participants.

Seanad Reform Survey (2nd Republic)

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Stop laughing.

YOU can do it.

Oliver Moran writes:

In December the Government set up a working group to make recommendations for Seanad reform. The working group has set a closing date of  January 20 for public submissions, which should be sent to: seanadreformwg@taoiseach.gov.ie.
Given this extremely short deadline for the public to express their views, Second Republic have set up a public survey, which we will use as the basis for an omnibus submission. Several hundred people have already taken part. Interested readers can participate at the link below. The more people participate, the more democratic we can make Seanad reform. Thank you.

Seanad Reform Survey

Pic: Direct Democracy

voting reformFurther to Brian Hayes’ ‘controversial’ thoughts on the matter.

Mark Phillips, of Future Matters, writes:

This comic [above] shows the reality the thousands or Irish people face once they move abroad to find work. Not only has our economy discarded of them, so too has our democracy.
As part of the Seanad reform proposed by Katherine Zappone and Fergal Quinn, emigrants would finally have some say in their country.

I hope this makes people see the potential for a reformed Seanad as they consider how to vote next week. A No vote would help make votes for those abroad a reality; a Yes vote would wipe out any realistic possibility.

 

Future Matters

90313672From left: Ruth Coppinger, Paul Murphy MEP and Mick Barry at the launch of the Socialist Party’s campaign to abolish the Seanad at Leinster House this morning.

“It is the purpose of the Seanad from its inception – a more limited franchise is designed to ensure a Seanad that is more conservative than the Dail. None of the proposals for a reformed Seanad change that reality.
Hypocrisy abounds on all sides on this issue. On the No side, Fianna Fail’s bleating about a reformed Seanad is just as hypocritical as the government’s talk about democratic change. The collection of right-wing politicians and journalists that makes up the so-called ‘civil society’ group, Democracy Matters, is just as guilty. If Fianna Fail was serious about reform of the Seanad, it could have driven it during its dominance of politics over the past decades.”

 

Scrap The Seanad (Paul Murphy, The Socialist Party)

(Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland)

one houseLaunching tomorrow.

One House?

One House is an independent civil society group supporting a yes vote in the referendum to abolish Seanad Éireann.
We are not aligned with any political party and exist solely as a campaign group for the 2013 Seanad referendum.

 

Who?

Eamon Delaney, author and columnist
Barry Desmond, former Labour party minister
Martina Devlin, author and Irish Independent columnist
Alan Dukes, former Fine Gael minister and ex-chairman of IRBC.
Blair Horan,General Secretary of the Civil, Public and Services Union
Richard Humphreys, senior counsel and Labour party councillor
Finola Kennedy, member of Constitutional Review Group
Liz McManus, former Labour party minister
Arthur Morgan, former Sinn Féin TD
Kieran Mulvey, chief executive of the Labour Relations Commission .
Eoin O’Malley, DCU lecturer
Jim Power, economist, Friends First.
Kevin Rafter, DCU lecturer
Mervyn Taylor, former Labour Party minister
Liam Thornton, Law School UCD

FIGHT!

One House

future mattersAnne Street, Dublin, last night.

Mark Phillips writes:

Members of Future Matters were out campaigning yesterday evening when four five Labour Senators – Jimmy Harte, Denis Landy, John Whelan, James Heffernan and John Kelly – joined them unexpectedly. They were full of support for the campaign for Seanad reform. Nice to see people within the Government come out against Enda’s abolition proposal so early!
How long until Enda and Co try have them whipped into line?

 

Future Matters (Facebook)

Pic: Fiachra Maolmordha Ó Raghallaigh

mary

Independent Senator Mary Ann O’Brien putting forth her theory on water flouridation and the incidence of cancer and Down’s Syndrome in the Seanad today.

Incidentally, environmental scientist Declan Waugh made a presentation to the Oireachtas last Wednesday on water flouridation.

Via Paul Duggan

Previously: Scantily-Clad Shoots For Worthy Causes

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Lucinda Lite

Look around the eyes.

Fine Gael’s Regina Doherty and Minister Richard Bruton outlining plans on the plinth for the party’s Referendum campaign today.

Meath East TD Regina has been appointed as Fine Gael’s Deputy Director of Elections.

Richard is getting a new tailor.

(Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland)

Meanwhile:

“The idea that someone who has been a member of this house… has to listen to ‘The Regina Monologues’ from somebody who’s not a wet week in this house, talking through her f***y, I object on the strongest possible basis.”

 

Senator David Norris. in the Seanad today via The Journal

Formal complaint to be made over ‘sexist’ Norris comments (RTE)