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SEANAD EIREANN CURRENTLY faces an existential crisis. For most of its history it has been troubled by its role within the state. Previous public opinion seemed to vary from complete indifference to a belief that the Seanad is an elitist, old-fashioned talking shop.
Recent polls, however, have shown a positive increase in the numbers who wish to hold on to the second chamber. Has the Seanad’s time past? I would argue that the Seanad is all the more relevant and important as we face the challenges of exiting the Troika bailout.
Seanad abolition would exacerbate the problems of the state since the banking collapse in 2008 at a time when proper scrutiny, fresh ideas, and the potential for true political reform are most needed.
There has developed what I believe to be a deeply unhealthy belief in the Irish political establishment that all wisdom is held by the Economic Management Council (EMC) and in particular by the Taoiseach and his department. This has allowed group-think to prevail within the upper echelons of the political system. Government and representative democracy requires scrutiny and debate.
James Madison, the fourth President of the United States, outlined this theory in Federalist Paper 10 as preventing “tyranny of the majority” a problem that he foresaw as potentially destructive to any government and that constitutionally needed to be addressed.
Our Seanad is designed to provide alternative voices and viewpoints, with an opportunity to give those with backgrounds in medicine, the arts, economics, and business not to mention those from Northern Ireland an opportunity to participate directly in the Oireachtas.
The majority may not always agree with those views and government may find them inconvenient but it is important that they have an airing within the corridors of power. The expanding role has seen the Chairman become Chief and that too has stymied the attempts by the Seanad to reform itself, that though the Seanad has proposed responses to the changing world but the executive responded with a resounding Níl!
The frustration within the government and media at the recall of the Seanad a few weeks ago to debate an EU directive on the quality and safety of human organs intended for transplantation, highlighted the problems of a system where the desires of the Chief outweigh the willingness of parliament to have a real debate on the issues. Two of my Seanad colleagues faced sanctions for voting against the government during the recall but there is no reason why parliamentarians should be sanctioned for voting with their conscience or their intellect.
The Seanad is part of a parliamentary tradition, a tradition that has been and continues to be trodden upon by an all-encompassing whip system integrated with an executive that culminates in one person.
Parliament is important. Parliament provides voices for the majority, the minority and all in between. Parliament enables the business of government to happen. Parliament acts as a bridge between the civil and the people. Parliament enables accountability. This country needs checks and balances and fresh ideas in order to recover and regain its economic sovereignty.
Destroying the Seanad doesn’t help this process, nor does blind allegiance to the Economic Management Council. Ireland’s future requires an active and functional parliament. Keeping the Seanad will retain an important part of our democracy, and if we are serious about government reform and not just press releases we will need more parliamentary accountability not less.
That is why I know we need Seanad Éireann today and in the future.
Sean Barrett is an independent senator.
Senator Barrett received more votes than most TD’s (he is one of the university senators). The Seanad is the only way we can possibly elect non pothole fillers to Parliament and that’s why I’m voting No.
Ok Eric..valid point..BUT what do they actually do once they are in our parliamentary system?
In relation to the Promisory Note leglislation earlier this year, senators who were against it said that they were powerless in the Seanad to prevent it going through!
At the recent debate in The Seanad on its possible abolotion..the chair had to suspend proceedings as there wasnt the minimum qouta of senators in the chamber to be able to continue the debate!!! Those 2 facts are enough for me to vote a big Yes
Non-pothole fillers? I suggest you follow @senhealyeames on Twitter and see what she’s up to. Oh, look – filling local potholes! Seriously. And she defends it when called on it, too.
A Senator – unelected and on a handsome salary and pension from the public purse – doesn’t want his quango abolished. I’m shocked!
He was elected!
No Christopher… not be the general public he wasn’t.
But elected by who–those lucky enough in our society who can afford a University education.
He was elected – maybe not in the most representative manner possible – but he still received more votes than Enda Kenny!
Nonsense–Enda Kenny was elected by the representatives of many thousands of voters who voted for them in the General Election–are you opposed to democracy?
Its sad that the Senators are now coming out saying how important the Seanad is. It unquestionably needs proper reform but I hope that it is now not too little too late.
The question I ask myself is why does Enda want it abolished and I keep coming back to the belief in my mind that it was an election promise, one that he saw it as a money saving, headline grabber at a time when we were all clamoring after such bolsters to add to the whip to beat down FF. One that he bit his teeth into and like hard treacle, is hard to let go of.
Yes the Seanad is about as toothless as a gummy bear and that is because their power has been allowed to be eroded by wanton failed politicians looking for a temporary shelter to either keep themselves in or out of the minds of the party leaders for re-election or to settle whilst feathering their pension entitlements.
FG’s claims that it will save €20m is totally bogus because every one currently in the Seanad is eligible for a STATE pension so the only savings will be on expenses..which was cumulative total of €1,961,674 in 2012. ( The 166 members of Dáil Éireann received over €7.2 million in the same period) They share the same facilities as the members of the Dáil so no savings there.
Now €2m is a lot of money…could that be saved through better efficiencies of the whole political spectrum? I am sure it can.
They claim that other ( mainly Nordic) countries thrive on a unicameral system ( one house) but they keep failing to mention that those countries have a very powerful local government system. Which here has been again historically toothless and also is currently being eroded by central government to produce efficiencies and or just plain financial cut backs.
Agian I ask myself…why if he sees the Seanad as a democratic dinosaur, why not, whilst it is there, look at the many reports filed over past years into reforming the house into one that is effective and untainted by party whips? My personal view is that he is comfortable in the knowledge that any legislation he, and his other 3 members of the EMC, propose will be unopposed because of the size of the current majority his chief whip can deliver. Power is an aphrodisiac.
Even the recent Dáil reforms announced were only effective in time management which again was forced and not passed through the Oireachtas Dáil Reform Committee.
I will be voting no in the referendum and I know that TD Shane Ross and simultaneously a member of the Seanad, will propose a reform bill the next working day after the referendum.
A second House that is independently voted in and independently free from the Whip and has the power to change/ refuse bills is the only way, in my opinion, to stop this country sliding into an Oligarchy.
Once the Seanad has been abolished the way back will be almost impossible.
Why is Shane Ross so exercised about Seanad reform now? He was a Senator for years and is on record as having opposed reform. Seems a bit like his admiration of Anglo Irish Bank and then his volte face when the s*** hit the fan.
The main reason that the numbers have shifted Sean? It’s not because we suddenly care about the Seanad. It’s because public opinion is automatically going against whatever that ignorant wannabe Enda Kenny wants us to do.
So when was the last time the Seanad defeated a bill? Oh, wait, it can’t.
So when was the last time the Seanad delayed a bill for 90 days? That long, eh?
Seán, your problem isn’t the abolition of the Seanad causing “group think”, your problem is with the whip system.
I know people with no votes for the Seanad elections, and I know people with two votes. Hardly democratic, is it? I’d rather have a single house rather than a second, self-selecting, elitist talking shop.
The Seanad is too disconnected from society to deserve to endure. It is like a back office for cosseted political insiders.
Let the Seanad do what the constitution of this country requires it to do. If it is broken then fix it. Absolute power corrupts absolutely. No less a person than the Mr.Kenny himself in a radio interview during last week stated that “the Dail has hijacked the Seanad”. There it is, straight from the horse’s mouth: The Dail has hijacked the Seanad. If we need common electoral representation in the Seanad then let’s have it. This whole debacle smacks to me of political opportunism. Why waste a good crisis are the words which spring to mind. I am not affiliated to any political party and have no particular political agenda in including this comment. As a citizen I will be voting for retention of the Seanad (albeit a reformed entity) in the belief that we simply must have [1] some bulwark against the almost dictatorial power of the current executive who existence owes more to a massive protest vote against the last administration and a lack of alternatives at the last general election rather that to any past proven national administrative ability and [2] to ensure ongoing prospective protection against similar arrogant and political undertakings reneging administrative groupings in the future. The Seanad was incorporated as an essential part of the houses of the Oireachtas for very good reason. Why throw the baby out with the bathwater on a politically opportunistic whim. My advice: Vote NO for Seanad abolition in the forthcoming Referendum.
Seanad.
Politics.
Blah blah zzzzzzzzz.
Who cares today?
Come on The Dubs!!!
This state is disfunctional. It needs to be rebuilt from top to bottom. Abolish the Senate and that’s the end of the reform: a few Dail committees full of the same party whipped tired politicians doesn’t cut it. We need a new constitution, and no that joke of a convention doesn’t cut it either, and a new political system.
What a load of utter nonsense this poor man talks.
This is a chance for people power get rid of them then they might realise people can be powerful and not go running to the special groups. 60 odd redundancies is what we need in the political class . The shock of seen that close down might set them thinking
Voting No doesn’t give any guarantee that the Seanad will be reformed.
I’m voting Yes. We don’t need the Seanad. We elect TDs and a government to make decisions. Why would we then want a Seand in place which could potentially block legislation being put through by the Dail. It would simply slow everything down and nothing would get done. I guess people are always suspicious of a government bringing in legislation that would have an effect on themselves and I would like to know what else is coming downstream to replace the Seanad – committees, etc.
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