2022 Seanad by-election

Those two will either be voted out of the Dail or carried out feet first. They won't just give up because they have nothing else to do.

Yes, it's a long time since I had nothing bad to say about a (soon to be) politician, but this person always came across as sound as a pound, well to me anyway. He might go a long way eventually.

That's not really fair in Clonan's case. He's been featuring his son on social media for years - in the context of his pride in him achieving education goals in spite of his disability. He didn't just wheel him out as a prop to get elected.

I wonder will the Daily Express notice that their favourite Irish sounding board, Ray Bassett, got such a low share of the vote (3.4%) that he would have lost his deposit if it were a UK election? There, you have to get 5% of the poll if you want to keep your downpayment.

Because of his Eurosceptic views, and his willingness to spout them to a British audience (if not to an Irish electorate) Dr Bassett is a frequent contributor to the arch-conservative newspaper where his ravings are eagerly broadcast to the Great British Public as the authentic voice of the Real Ireland: loyal, anglophile, Eurosceptic and nostalgic for the days of the United Kingdom of Britain and (all of) Ireland.

A perfunctory search on Google, and a filtering out of duplicates reveals that he has been quoted at least 30 times in the twelve months from April 1st 2021 to March 31st 2022 in stories published on the express.co.uk website. That's two and a half times per month: not bad for a fat-cat bureaucrat retired on a gilt-edged public service pension that is usually the type of "elitist" roundly reviled by the eurosceptic/Brexit crew.

Most of those 30 mentions were in stories where his comment was the lead item, and featured under headlines like "EU warned [by Bassett] Irexit emerging as a credible prospect" (15/June/2021) or "Irish ex-diplomat admits EU bullying Dublin" (8/July 2021) to "EU shamed as ex-diplomat blasts whinging France" (18/September/2021) down to "EU throws Dublin under bus" (31/January/2022)

Now that he has been soundly rejected by the most concentrated West Brit constituency it is possible to find in Ireland (Trinners graduates of which I am one---How to you know if somebody went to Trinity? They tell you!) will his views continue to be sought by the Express?

You bet your sweet bippy!!

I wouldn't have thought a Eurosceptic would do particularly well in Trinity. While it is the most Anglo friendly, it's also traditionally very liberal, so support for the EU would be a natural fit.

I don't understand Ray Bassett though. The DFA is very much in the pro-EU camp (so much so, that their interview process screens for EU views) so I can't understand how he got to the rank of ambassador whilst holding such opinions. Maybe he sat on them in office, but considering he's so outspoken now, that seems unlikely to me. I wonder what the true motivation is there.

Funny things referendums, huh?

I think the key to winning a referendum is to campaign like hell for your point of view. All people: Irish, British or whoever, are averse to the "Mrs Doyle" line of persuasion "Ah, go on, go on, go on. You will, you will you will" which brooks no argument at all. It comes across as "We know best. Don't you dare question our superior knowledge. Just trust us and don't be bothering your silly inferior head with things you couldn't possibly understand"

That was the approach of all the major parties for referendums such as those on the Lisbon and Nice Treaties and especially the Seanad Reform referendums. People hate being taken for granted and there is immense power in being able to walk into a private polling booth and telling the powers that be to feck off just by voting the way they DIDN'T want you to vote.

Look at the recent Marriage Equality and Abortion referendums. Whatever about general attitudes being in flux in post-catholic Ireland those referendums were won by the determination of canvassers to get out on the streets and MAKE the case for their point of view. That is inherently respectful of the ability of individual members of the electorate to make up their own minds. And it pays dividends.

Though it pains me to say it: it's probably what won the Brexit referendum too.

I disagree. I think its perfectly valid to talk about his experience as a carer but I found his social media in this campaign just totally ott on it. I know many disabled people were really really upset at his campaigns use of social media.

🤣🤣🤣

Oh look be dismissive and rude about it why dont you without actually acknowledging or discussing why disabled people might be so upset. Oh and I'm not the discussion here by the way. The issue is.

Some fella only got 28 votes.

How many do you need for nomination? Is it proposer, seconder and 10 assentors? Or 10 in total?

Either way, fairly deluded to be putting yourself forward for that unless you just want to get your name on a paper for free

Do they have to put up any expenses for these elections? Or is the cost borne by the college?

I'm all in favour of having politics accessible, but 28 votes is taking the piss unless he wants to fund it himself.

When it gets to something like that, you really only have someone advertising themselves or their businesses etc.

I wouldn't have any time for the likes of your man "Michael" who is just lazily wasting an actual democratic opportunity. It's completely disrespectful for all the people who sacrificed so much to be able to have the options that he has. You may not like the idea of the Seanad but it is there and is part of the State.

Maybe when he grow the **** up a bit, he will realise the value of what he had in being able to get himself put forward.

This discussion isnt about me.

Disabled people have told me they were upset about his social media and how they felt it talked about disabled people. The Independent Living Movement Ireland released a statement on the matter.

If you bothered your arse to read what I said, it never disputed his right to stand. If you had a vote and were bothered to use it, you were more than welcome to give it to him. That he wastes the opportunity is speaks for himself and I'd reckon he probably comes from a fairly well-to-do background where he had everything handed to him easy and appreciates nothing.

What you often have with people like that is that they want the limelight and want to get elected onto these things but then either haven't the competency or the work ethic to actually do something. His bio says he had a "silver medal" in some other election. So he wants to do these things but then fails badly and has to try to cover up by trying to take the pi$s.

He ran a joke election because he wanted to run but knew he didn't have a hope of being elected. So he ran as a "joke".

Plenty of students run those type of campaigns. Sometimes as an actual tactic to try to win a student election. And sometimes just as a vanity project dressed up as a joke. the "joke" aspect is really just getting your excuses in first to save face.

Either way, it's highly disrespectful to the democratic institutions of the state. The State being the ultimate entity which facilitates his current lifestyle as a student.

Ultimately the "joke" backfires when you see that the system is actually open to everyone. He now will never have any reason to moan about the political system. Because he had the opportunity to be part of it and he failed.

Neither of them is a vanity project to the same extent as they run under assumed names.

Edit: Here is an interview with him

I mean, he briefly mentions things that are actual issues, but instead of using the opportunity to try to raise awareness of those issues, he uses it to shout over them with a "look at me, look at me. Sure amn't I a mad bastard altogether" strategy

People can vote in it ..... duh.

Just because there is an election, it doesn't make it undemocratic if you aren't in a particular constituency. I can't vote for a TD in Cork, and then one in Galway, then one in Louth.

People appointed are done so by people elected and whose prerogative it is to do so. The DU representatives are directly elected by the votes of its electorate. And it is open for any person to become part of that electorate by simply graduating from there.

No, but you vote for people as your representatives to put others in there.

Having a directly elected upper house would just be repeating the Dail and defeating its purpose. The university reps are a bit of an outlier in this regard. But there would have been philosophical justifications for it back in the day I suppose.

You can also get access through the NUI ones if you can't get the points to be a "pompous Trinners grad". Trinity also runs a few access programmes and is very accessible as a mature student.

Fun fact, the University of Dublin used to confer degrees on what were DIT graduates back in the day. So I presume those also have a Seanad vote.

I think that comes under the ancient doctrine of "tough titties".

The aspect of the Seanad which is a joke is failed TDs being granted seats on panels, for which they are supposed to be "experts", but for which they would appear to have no background at all.

In many ways, the university candidates are the most deserving and valid candidates of their positions

Yes, DIT graduates with TCD degrees (such as myself) do have votes in the TCD Seanad election. Only one candidate thought to mention "TCD and DIT graduates" in their leaflet however.

The Irish electorate voted overwhelmingly in 1979 to add the 7th amendment to the constitution permitting all university graduates to be added to the electorate for the six university seats - but this has never been legislated for.