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Seanad Reform

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  • 20-06-2007 11:42pm
    #1
    Oirthir
    Registered Users Posts: 308 ✭✭


    Just wondering what the thoughts on the Seanad are?

    Should it be dumped, directly elected?

    Or my personal favourite, successive governments totally ignoring the Seventh Amendment, 1979 which provided for the extension the University Seats to all Third Level Institutes...


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    #2
    Mick86
    Closed Accounts Posts: 982 ✭✭✭Mick86


    Oirthir wrote:
    Just wondering what the thoughts on the Seanad are?

    Should it be dumped, directly elected?

    It's a convenient place to put politicians who fail to get elected. Without it people like Mary O'Rourke and Martin Mansergh might have had to find gainful employment for the last 5 years. And where else is David Norris going to get a captive audience which he can bore to death. I mean if we introduced direct elections instead of allowing the educated elite to feed useless mouths, we might end up with an Upper House full of kneecappers and socialists. Not the thing at all, old Boy. It's a harmless old institution so let sleeping dogs lie.


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    #3
    flogen
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 10,247 Mod ✭✭✭✭flogen


    I think it needs a reform in terms of the powers it possesses, but any reform is pointless as long as the Government of the day has the ability to dictate the majority in it no matter what.

    To that end I think it should be also be reformed to allow all of it to be elected by the public (at least all 3rd level graduates, anyway, although I've no problem with an 18+ franchise).

    That would solve the problem of it being a gestation tank for would-be TDs too - keep that contained to the local councils.


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