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THE FORMER PRESIDENT of Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI) is looking for nine TDs or Senators to nominate him to run for the vacant seat in the Seanad.
Gerard Craughwell, 60, says he wants to run for the upper house to avoid a “sham” by-election for the seat vacated by newly-elected Fine Gael MEP Deirdre Clune.
Craughwell, who finished his term as TUI president in July, says he wants to exercise the right of a citizen to “put themselves forward for elected office” but he admitted “the winning of the thing is a separate issue”.
“I mean the by-election is slanted in such a way in that it makes it next to impossible for anybody to challenge for the seat,” he told TheJournal.ie today.
Vacant Seanad seats are filled through a by-election involving all 226 of the Oireachtas. This means the government, with its majority, effectively decides the successful candidate.
It is widely expected that Fine Gael will put forward a candidate whose profile they will seek to boost before running them for the Dáil in the next general election.
Filling the seat has become an imperative for the coalition in recent weeks due to it being in the minority in the upper house. It is expected the by-election will be held when TDs and Senators return from the summer recess in mid-September.
But Craughwell, a former Fine Gael member who left the party in 2009, has described the by-election as a “silly charade” and has been actively seeking support on Twitter in recent days:
He needs the backing of nine Oireachtas members to nominate him to run in the by-election even though he would almost certainly fail to get elected due to the government’s overwhelming majority.
“Why don’t they just go for the honest thing and let the Taosieach nominate a person rather than play this silly charade,” Craughwell said.
“That is repugnant in every way. Am I qualified? I would say I am eminently qualified. I have just finished a term as TUI president so I would be qualified for the educational panel.”
The father-of-two says that he wants “force as democratic election as possible” and claims he is already amassing the required support but declined to name which TDs or Senators are backing him.
Speculation about Fine Gael’s nominee has centred on a number of Dublin-based councillors and unsuccessful local election candidates.
Among the favourites are Ballymun-based councillor Noel Rock who is in a constituency where the party does not have a Dáil seat. His Dublin city council colleague Kate O’Connell, who represents Rathgar-Rathmines, has also been speculated about.
Other possible nominees are former Dublin lord mayor Gerry Breen, who lost his council seat in May, and failed election candidates Stephanie Regan and Samantha Long.
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One public sector gravy train to another…
“Ask them in the name of democracy to nominate me.”
That’s a healthy ego. He’ll do well in Leinster House.
Have we not enough teachers in the dail and senad already .
He has a good public service pension or job and he is very lucky,he wants more handy money ,typical trade unionist .
Brian why don’t you join me and seek a nomination also. Lets force them to have a real by-election.
A real by-election, yeah right, a whipped vote of an electoral roll of 226.
This is why people should actively seek a nomination to stand. Why are the standards for this by-election different? Candidates should have to face the same (albeit elite) group of county & city councillors and Oireachtas members. The truth is its a fit up. We need people to stand the reforms must come.
The people of Ireland in 2013 by way of referendum rejected a proposal by the government to abolish Seanad Eierann. However, there was more to that rejection than a simple desire to retain the current Seanad, there was a desire to see the upper house reformed. To date there has been little effort to bring forward that reform.
Probably because the Taoiseach has all but vowed not to reform the chamber and wanted rid of it.
The people decided that the Seanad would remain in it’s current form as given the choice in the referendum !
The government must accept the will of the people !
The Taoiseach will be happy to use this vacancy to get profile for one of his hopefuls for the next general election. This is why I want to run and encourage others to do likewise.
You want to run to increase your profile for the general election????
Tom I will not be running in a General Election
I was teasing about your syntax in your previous comment. I hope you weren’t an English teacher.
Anyway the comments section of the journal.ie isn’t a forum which encourages high brow debate so I wish you well in your endeavours.
So he left FG when they had no power, and is now giving out because FG, having done something terrible such as winning an election, want to reward those who didn’t run away during tough times. Right so.
Another freebooter wanting the snout back in the trough
I note the comments above and they are not unexpected. Perhaps when people reflect they themselves might enter this race. Why does it take 9 Oireachtas members to get a nomination for a by-election for the Seanad why not 4 as in a general election?
Because the Seanad is a constitutional abomination and I voted to get rid of it.
Following the referendum its here for the foreseeable future. The task now is to force the reforms that make the Seanad more relevant and more democratic.
Why are so many attacking this man. He is putting his name forward and doesn’t deserve personal attacks. Attacking politicians or would be politicians for the sake of it is a cheap generalisation.
If you have a point to make then make it but ‘they’re all the same’ gets a little bit tiring.
I wish him well.
Thank you.
Craughwells plea to his “peers” within the Oireachtas for another cushy number, despite his incomes, pensions etc is a classic reason why the Seanad should have been done away with in the first place. Elitist self promoting crap
I am seeking a nomination because the system that will be used to fill the current vacancy could not be more elitist. Why is this by-election confined to the Oireachtas members only why not open it out to those who voted during the Seanad general election. This is the only by-election process where the electorate changes. Were it a Dail seat it would go to a popular vote.
So you’re saying the system’s crooked and you want in?
I believe that when the people of Ireland voted to retain Seanad Eierann they did not vote to retain some sort of training ground for prospective TDs or a retiring ground for those former TD’s who failed to get elected. They voted, I believe, for a Seanad devoid of the political cronyism, a Seanad that would be elected by the popular vote of a broad electorate. To suggest that the Government in general and the Taoiseach in particular would use the current bye-election as an opportunity to profile one of the Fine Gael party for the next general election is beyond belief.
I wish you well.
The arrogance is astounding — for that alone he should be ashamed. Ironic a trade unionist wanting to be part of an elite group which is not chosen by the public? Bring back British rule as these guys are really riding us to death.
My aim is to expose the lack of democracy in this process.
By benefiting from that lack of democracy?
David I would have to win first if there was to be any benefit and given the loaded dice for Seanad by-elections that will be a very difficult task. However sitting complaining is not my way. I try to act on things I see as wrong or unfair. A by-election which can and probably will be a fit up I really have a problem with. I want others to follow me to drive home the message to government that the days of these practises are over.
Why is it that the electorate for this by-election is restricted to just 226 Oireachtas members. Open and fair elections is what this is about again I would encourage anyone with an interest to look for the required nomination support we should not allow this by-election to go ahead without some real effort at competition.
What we need is a General Election Now to rid us of the Vichy government that we currently have
I wont disagree with this. The suffering this government has inflicted on the poorest and weakest in this country is unforgivable. The rich are still enjoying all they had before the crash and given property price increases they are about to have another bonanza. We took the pain so German banks could be saved.
Gerard, how are you any different to your former FG colleagues? I as a 17 year old mistakenly thought FG wanted a fairer society, but soon gave up on that illusion and have educated myself since and vote left/independent, so yes people can change their minds, but why are you only standing on political reform? Surely a trade unionist ought to have viewpoints at odds with FG not in connection to them? Surely you can state those views on here? For example on welfare cuts of your former party-these are beyond merely ideological, they are and have been cruel and profane, especially on young people like me who experienced that system and were told to survive on 100 a week with no rent allowance(not actually possible!!) and single parents who experienced beyond cruel cuts as well. What about the deference to powerful vested interests in big business, and particularly in the banks, not to mention Denis O Brien? Or are you just another reform alliance type character interested only in piecemeal political reform, but not social reform? It is not acceptable in this day and age, with massive income inequality, to hide behind political reform-people must clearly state their ideals so we are not hoodwinked again like we were in the Ahern/PD era.
This country does not need more right wingers if that is still your viewpoint on the economy(for most members of FG it typically is, unless like me, you copped on at a younger age-I was a member for a very short period of a few months). How long were you in FG and why did you leave?
Hi Andy
Thank you for your query.
Let me start out by saying that I am not just about reform.
I am deeply concerned at the way this country has been governed. Clearly the rich have been protected while the poorest have suffered badly. For examples the medical card disgrace. Two people I know, cancer victims had their medical cards withdrawn. Our medical services are falling apart with A&Es everywhere overcrowded.
The welfare system has been cut to the point where people can no longer live on what is paid to them. Expecting the young to live on €100pw is a disgrace but I believe that government sought with this measure to put the pressure back on families. Demand for living accommodation is pushing rents up while government cut rent supplements. I could go on here but I hope you understand I have many concerns in this area.
Housing policy has become a joke. Prices are again spiralling out of control and we are I in the middle of yet another bubble. There is no strategy and government seem to be depending on the central bank to do its work for it. Talking of the elite I believe that property ownership will soon be outside the reach of ordinary people.
On education the cost of going to College with registration fees, travel etc whether University, IoT or FE has spiralled out of control and is fast falling outside the reach of ordinary people. Schools do not have the resources they need to deliver a 21st century education all too much is left to volunteerism. Parents are being asked to fund so many things now that the inequality gap is widening.
New taxes are putting unacceptable levels of stress on families. We are crippling people with Home and water taxes while at the same time giving multinationals free range to avoide taxes here or in their home countries. Our corporate tax regime has become an embarrassment.
The economic policy of austerity has brought families to their knees.
Finally after years of austerity we as a nation are about to enter the giveaway party as this government seeks to buy us off for the next election
What kind of a fool are you,the country is broke and you are supposed to represent the teaching profession .
Basic economics is all you need to understand the our costs of public services are too high and very inefficient simply because of powerful public service trade unions
Our welfare payments to unemployed are at least twice what they are in Northern Ireland – result is that it does not pay people to take jobs , so all these young people coming from Europe to take up jobs in Dublin
So stay with your trade union , you have enough of your profession in the dail/senad
I had thought of replying to the personalised comments but these are beneath the discussion. My reasons for taking this step are clear. The anger which probably underlies some of these comments is best aimed at the government that is crippling us all.
hi Gerard other than forcing a democratic election, what else would you bring to the table, what changes would you like to make?
It would be easy here to list off a number of the well discussed reforms that are needed for the Seanad. I am a realist so the first step is to secure an nomination and that will take 9 members of the Oireachtas. Following that there is this very undemocratic by-election process to go through where not even the highly restricted electorate who elected the Seanad are entitled to vote. I am one man so I am limited in what I can do other than to expose this sham. Perhaps by entering the race I will encourage others to join in and force a real debate.
Hi Daithi
Thanks for your comment.
There is little in what you say that I disagree with. The reform of the Seanad is a task for Government Seanad members are powerless to act. The government has dragged its heels since the referendum on this issue. I agree that reform was not an option on the ballot paper but the arguments to keep the Seanad centred on reform. It appears to me that all the Taoiseach wants is to open up the University seats but I suspect that when and if that happens it will be swamped by political party people.
I am disappointed at the personalised approach being taken here by some who have commented here. The issue is what’s important not me or my profession. The question must be asked why is a Seanad by-election so restrictive. Why does one need 9 Oireachtas members to get a nomination to get on the ballot paper instead of the 4 required for a general election? Why is the electorate restricted to the 226 members of the Oireachtas and not extended to the constituency who elected the Seanad in the first place?
The truth is that this is not a fair and open by-election in the proper sense of the word. This is an election with a loaded dice in favour of the Government. Given the current by-election process I have no great expectation the government parties will use the whip to ensure victory. My position is clear I am running because no one should ever obtain an elected position without having to work for it. The Seanad should not be a place for TD hopefuls to rest until they get elected to the Dail nor is it a retirement home. The Seanad must become more relevant to the people who pay for it not a play thing for governments.
Another interesting point about this vacancy is that there are 35 registered bodies for this sub-panel and even though they can nominate a person for the Cultura and Education panel they have no vote that privilege is left to Oireachtas members and City & County Councillors.
Finally your point about being a Trinity Grad as against an IT Grad is well made and is yet another problem with the Seanad.
The Seanad must be reformed and it will take people like you and me to run for election to force the changes required.
I hope this explains my point.
Gerard,
People are fed up of hearing “isn’t that what you say at elections” soundbites. we are an educated informed electorate. Every politicianor SU candidate or whatever comes along blah blah .I’ll do this and fix this and address this and once they get elected nothing……………………… We’ve heard it all before…….
I understand your point. However I am promising nothing other than to expose this sham of a by-election. I cannot fix the Seanad that takes the Government. What I can do is place the issue back on the table. What needs to happen is to force this by-election into the open. The Seanad is not a training ground or place for TD hopefuls to build profile.
While I wish you well Gerard, here’s the problem with the Seanad; I Voted Yes to Abolish it.
Why?
Because 1. Reform wasn’t on the agenda and still isn’t so a Yes Vote was pointless and 2. Reform wasn’t an option on the ballot paper.
I’ve zero faith that the Seanad ever will be reformed; the ultimate reform is for those in the house to be directly elected by their peers, not by the houses of the Oireachtas!
It’s actually only thanks to this thread that I’m becoming aware of the awkwardness of being elected to the Senate; it’s archaic and Seanad Eireann since it’s not being abolished needs to be as directly elected as the lower house.
It’s also unfair that in the current system, if I went to Trinity I can vote in Seanad Eireann Elections but if I went to IT Carlow I can’t!?
Elitism right there.
have your say