Voters chose by a narrow margin in a referendum in 2013 to retain the Seanad. It’s unlikely they are happy with that decision, writes Senator Gerard P Craughwell.
Earlier, the Taoiseach promised that senators will get more work once legislation to give all third-level graduates a vote in Seanad elections is passed. The upper house is sitting for just a day-and-a-half this week.
Enda Kenny has said the upper house can have greater powers of scrutiny but he does not intend to introduce universal suffrage for elections to the Seanad.
With the onset of the crisis five years ago, the malaise in our political system came to the surface; now, thanks in part to the Seand referendum, it is bubbling over, writes Colin Murphy.
Some cynics claim that the government will do nothing about the Seanad now, but they are ignoring the reality that 93 per cent of the people oppose the status quo, writes Larry Donnelly.
Some might argue that a bad Seanad is better than no Seanad – but having a “bad” Seanad is far worse, inspiring only cynicism and harming the political process, writes Ale White TD.
In pushing for Seanad abolition, the government is trying to strip a layer of democracy designed to give fundamental protections to citizens, writes Niall Collins TD.
I have a lot of time for the Taoiseach, but his leadership has been autocratic and even authoritarian in a representative democracy and I find this unsettling, writes Larry Donnelly.
While there are practical arguments for a bill that requires no constitutional change, it limits any reform across the whole legislative body, writes Eoin O’Malley.
A NATIONAL VOLUNTARY collection for survivors of mother and baby homes has been suggested by independent senator Rónán Mullen.
The government is drawing up a redress scheme for survivors on foot of the publication of the final report of the Mother and Baby Homes Commission of Investigation last week.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has said that religious organisations should “make a contribution” towards this scheme.
Speaking in the Seanad yesterday, Mullen said the country should consider “whether it would be appropriate to have some kind of national voluntary contribution as part of a redress package to reflect the social and community dimension to this story, along with Church and State contributions”.
“We are all connected with families who are in some way a part of this story,” he added.
We want to know: Should a ‘national voluntary collection’ be set up for survivors of mother and baby homes?
Poll Results:
No, the State and Church should pay all redress (619)
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