James Reilly "honoured" to join Seanad he once called "very undemocratic" and with "no power"
In a 2013 statement calling for the Seanad to be abolished, Reilly labelled it “very undemocratic” and said it had “no power.”
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In a 2013 statement calling for the Seanad to be abolished, Reilly labelled it “very undemocratic” and said it had “no power.”
Proposals to expand the electorate will not be implemented before the election.
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.
The complaint related to comments made on the broadcaster’s breakfast show about Kenny’s decision not to take part in a debate on the Seanad referendum.
Promissory note gone, abortion legislated for, the Seanad retained, and the bailout exited – here are few key moments from the past 12 months.
The Government has been burned twice in apparently straightforward attempts to reform the political system due to a misguided, blanket rejection of all politicians by the public, writes Colm Ó Broin.
Enda Kenny and John Deasy, who have clashed before, did so again at the Fine Gael parliamentary party meeting last night.
A Fine Gael senator who was pro-abolition of the Seanad, has said that he voted against the referendum because he felt the Yes campaign was “disrespectful”.
The Taoiseach has proposed all-party talks involving leaders in the Dáil and Seanad on what to do with the upper house.
The Quinn-Zappone bill is being talked about a lot right now. But what’s in it? We take a look…
The Sinn Féin president was asked about his brother Liam, the Seanad referendum and his own future in an interview this morning.
While Minister Pat Rabbitte said it was his view that Enda Kenny should have debated abolition, Fine Gael chairman Charlie Flanagan insisted that the Taoiseach engaged “up and down the country”.
In the east they said No but in the west it was largely a Yes.
The post-mortem begins as Enda Kenny’s four-year campaign to get the Seanad abolished flounders.
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.
One of their members Denis Naughten TD also says that “there might have been a different result on Saturday had the Dáil had been reformed first.”
Enda Kenny told Micheál Martin he would forward information about the Seanad referendum compiled by a unit in his department to the Fianna Fáil leader but this didn’t happen before Friday’s vote.
“Sometimes in politics, you get a wallop in the electoral process” – Enda Kenny
The government must now decide what it plans to do with the retained upper house.
The Fianna Fáil leader told party faithful this evening that supporters are ‘pushing forward with rejuvenation throughout the country’.
Enda Kenny has come under fire for declining to participate in televised debates on the Seanad Referendum in the wake of its defeat.
Enda Kenny said he welcomed the clarity that the referendum result has brought but added he was “naturally, personally disappointed”
What way did your constituency go? Find out here…
The moment of victory was sweet for some…
Enda Kenny’s decision to decline to participate in television debates during the Seanad referendum campaign has been criticised today.
David Norris was in sparkling form at Dublin Castle this afternoon.
Niall Collins said that the party is not taking anything for granted but is encouraged by the results of tallies coming in from around the country.
Too close to call is the word of the day.
The green and white papers caused a bit of confusion yesterday.
Here’s what to expect if you’re heading to your polling station in the next few hours.
The campaigning is over. Now it’s over to you.
Why did the government lose a vote in the Seanad last night? Here’s what we’ve found out today.
He wants you to vote No. Ah no, we’re totally kidding…
Fianna Fáil has warned about the impact on the Constitution that abolishing the Seanad will have in its final appeal to voters today.
Phil Hogan said he’s not worried about claims senators may disrupt the government’s legislative agenda if the public votes to abolish the Seanad. Though he was speaking before last night’s defeat in the chamber.
Andrew Doyle said the variation in polling hours in some elections is causing confusion and resulting in potential lower turnouts.
He hasn’t gone away you know…
It wasn’t the first time the government has lost a vote in the upper house but it came with the referendum just two days away.
Miss the Vincent Browne Seanad debate? Read our blow-by-blow account here, there were four people…and Vin B, what more do you want?