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Updated 1pm
https://vine.co/v/OA55wZTJWAr
INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE GERARD Craughwell has won the controversial Seanad by-election, beating Fine Gael’s reluctant candidate John McNulty.
The result means the government has now lost its majority in the Seanad, with 29 members to 31 opposition party and independent senators.
McNulty had been widely tipped to win, despite asking the electorate not to vote for him following the political row about his appointment to a state board.
Craughwell, a former president of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI), said that he intends to be full independent and not subject to any party whip in the upper house.
The first count tally which was announced just after 12.10pm today saw Craughwell with a narrow lead of just three votes ahead of McNulty by 87 votes to 84.
The third candidate, Sinn Féin’s Catherine Seeley, received 22 votes and was eliminated after the first count.
In the second count, Craughwell received 98 votes to McNulty’s 85 and was deemed elected.
There were a total of 205 valid ballots sorted in the count centre in Leinster House.
A total of 207 ballots were received – which means 16 TDs and Senators didn’t vote -however two were rejected over issues around incomplete and missing declarations of identity.
The by-election has been mired in controversy in recent weeks after it emerged that McNulty was appointed to the board of the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) six days before he was confirmed as the Fine Gael candidate for the Seanad.
He subsequently resigned from the board of IMMA and asked not be considered by the electorate of TDs and Senators. Taoiseach Enda Kenny was forced to apologise for the debacle, blaming the state board appointment on an unnamed Fine Gael official.
The controversy led the government to announce changes to the way state board appointments are made with ministers pledging that there would be a more transparent process.
Additional reporting by Christine Bohan
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‘The final act…’. Love it, makes the whole sordid affair sound like a Shakespearean interpretation of a work of Machiavellian genius, instead of what it really is, a complete clusterf*ck whereby certain victory was tuned into two weeks of negative press because a person who shall remain nameless couldn’t resist the opportunity to act like a sleveen stroke merchant.
Much Ado About Nothing? Or is this just the first bit of bad news over the weekend for Kenny ‘ s army? Bring on the water march tomorrow.
Great Comment! Were Jammin
With any luck it is the begining of the end of stroke politics and cronyism in Irish politics.
I am sending this message to the journal by carrier pidgeon.
Just heard McNulty has LOST! I think that means the government has lost its guaranteed majority?
If so, the house kenny tried to abolish can now hold him to task properly.
Good times.
@Paul Mc
I like it!
(correspondence sent by letter plus overpriced stamp!)
Loos like we are edging ever closer now to a General Election.
This bumbling lying Government are just not up to leading any Country , with their level of corruption and cronyism.
If they were a Manager of a Football Team , they would have been fired long ago and would probably be in jail too , for multiple corruption & on the make and take convictions !
This comment is being made on my ‘free to use’ iPhone.
The Blueshirt/ Labour Gestapo Security Police haven’t arrived at the door yet , to deny me my rights to use it !
Zzzzz Boring Mr Shinner !
Well considering the last dail bill rejected by the Seanad was the 1964 pawnbrokers bill I wouldn’t be holding my breath for these over paid wannabe TD’s to do anything of note.
1) Cronyism
2) Cover – ups
3) Water charges
4) Reduction of higher tax band
5) Workers with expensive phones
6) Budget rumours of little hope
7) Meaningless elections
8) Ex junior ministers spilling the beans
Just a few of the things on my mind as I ready myself for the march tomorrow.
Apparently 2 TD’s or senators are unable to identify themselves?
Two senators couldn’t even be bothered to vote but I bet ya those two Muppets are bothered to fill in a expenses claim form
I don’t blame them, looking at the field.Yet another teacher in the Leinster House.
The most undemocratic process imaginable
If it’s meant to be a secret ballot how come there are 2 votes rejected because of issues with identity?
Each returned envelope must have proof of identity with it, but these are then separated from the ballots before counting.
Some democratic republic we live in when 202 people get to decide a new member of the House of the Oireachtas. To make matters worse the FG party are going to intentionally vote for a man who asked not to be voted for just so they can force another by election to ensure they keep their majority. They would actually put FF to shame with some of their carry on, roll on 2016 is all I can say!
This is a orchestrated sham
McNulty lost good. Amazing so many voted for someone who didn’t want to be elected…
I’m delighted that Enda got another kick in the ass, they way he has tried to ride roughshod over the Seanad is despicabl!.
What’s the cost of another by-election and who’s paying for it considering it is a complete stroke?
Elma it’s the same people who bend over and pay for everything else but we’re not allowed smartphones.
Considering the quota was around 103 votes a re run wouldn’t exactly break the bank
We are only a short period away now from a General Election as FG / Labour, without a Senate majority are hamstrung and The Government will collapse hopefully , by The New Year .
Hamstrung? You do know what the Seanad can do? And what it cant?
Why do we need another bye election
knives getting sharpened for kenny.watch out heather your in kennys sight to take the blame.
Democracy in action, Senate style
Another nail in this government’s coffin.
I’d love to see this guy’s CV. I could do with a few tips for mine
every vote for mcnulty is a spoiled vote as the guy has withdrawn…..so the contest should be between the sf and independent candidate
And of course zero accountability the fine Gael official remains unknown. Not much of a democratic revolution there. How much did this debacle cost the taxpayer in money and time.
You really think there was an official?
The water protests are a rising tide of Revolution that will wash the Blueshirts stain from our country.
Who cares? It’s a pointless election to a powerless house as voted by the elites.
Yeah but the people of Ireland chose to keep it going. Go figure. We get what we deserve.
No Dermot we don’t. We deserve to have it reformed and given some power to keep the gangsters across the road in check
Enda tried to scrap the house last year. Now he loses his majority in the house.
This make the Seanad all the more interesting.
FG aren’t going to be able to steamroll bills through anymore.
I can’t see any negatives from this.
FG have already had to amend the bill giving effect to the Under 6s free GP care (be removing a gagging clause) because of the Seanad. And being a minority in the Seanad, means they lost the vote to have Heather Humphreys explain McNulty’s appointment to IMMA in the first place.
The purpose of the Oireachtas is to hold the Government of the day to account, and I’m happy we’re finally in a position to see that happen.
Exactly Brian.
Anyone who thinks otherwise doesn’t look at the full picture.
At this point I’d like to remind you all that I tried to tell you voting ”No for reform” was a pointless waste of time and they will never give you Senate reform, and thus remind you what a horrible mistake you made.
But there is one more chance, because of this outcome, to make a second house do what it was originally, theoretically meant to do: Article 27
This article allows the Dail opposition to combine with a majority of the Senate to petition the President to refer a bill to the people in an ordinary referendum, if the President thinks it is ”of such national import that the will of the people ought to be ascertained”, he has to consult the Council of State (inc the govt) but he can ultimately decide whatever he likes and I think Micheal D would do it. Now that we have enough indos and opposition to make this article work it’s time to stop this govt sneaking through things that were not in their election manifestos in 2011 and next time force one of those things to a vote. They can’t do it with the budget but they can do it with ANYTHING else….so will they do it and prove that a second house can work in Ireland? or will we have business as usual and continue to have the Senate be nothing more than a glorified rubber stamp, nursery and retirement home for aspiring or ex TDs and beholden to a small clique?
Those of you in opposition and indos in the Senate the balls in your court. If one of you managed to get the people a vote on an unpopular govt measure you will sail into the Dail next time…go on…have some guts and surprise us jaded worn out cynical electors for a change!
Ah common what exactly are you going to refer to Micheal D ( A former Labour TD) that he’s going to turn down, it’s not his job. Anyway knowing that once it’s challenged by senators and approved it can never be challenged in the courts could be a disaster if something really contentious did come to the fore .And talking about an unpopular government if the presidential election has tomorrow do you think he’d get next or near the Áras.
and I’d like to remind you that it Dail members Kenny and Humphreys who made this mess
@Joe it IS his job it’s in fact one of the very few things that is ONLY his job, power to refer bills to the SC or the people is the most basic power the President has, it’s very much his job.
Article 27 does not work the way bills referred to the supreme court work you’re getting the two powers totally confused, article 27 triggers a referendum it has nothing to do with the supreme court.
@Steve You can say that all you want but the reality is the people who voted no for reform were WRONG and we were right, and I’m gonna keep pointing that out.
We told you over and over and over and over on the stories during the referendum that no power structure is gonna voluntarily hand over a barrier to that power in the form of a reformed senate, no govt would ever do that it’s just not how politics 101 works, and you would not listen, and voted to keep this useless rubber stamp. I said the following over and over again go back and look at the old stories on this :
”they won’t give you reform, and if they do it will be some kind of token tinkering with the university seats it won’t be real reform”.
So I’m saying, since we were right, and you didn’t get reform, one of the few ways the senate can become useful is to use Article 27 to give the people a say on things the govt wants but the people don’t.
and the idiot still leads this country
FG committed that most unforgivable sin of all in this debacle, they got caught. You can be sure FF and the rest will make sure that doesn’t happen again.
205 valid votes yet on first count we had a tally of 87,84 and 22, with 2 spoilt. That is 195. Where is other 10????
So 84 government party members went on to vote for this cronyism within their ranks. Says a lot about their consideration of public opinion about the entire debacle and the general electorate.
The 2 spoilt votes already deducted from 205 figure so we have 12 stray votes here. Where oh where are they?????
if the referendum to abolish the Seanad had had three choices, ‘abolish’, ‘keep in its present form’ or ‘serious reform’, I think ‘keep in its present form would have come in a distant third.
What’s serious reform? I don’t get a need for it bar giving failed TD’s a second bite of the cherry.
Joe, the most serious deficiency in the current Seanad system are the vocational panels.
On paper these are a great thing: a second house has people with knowledge and experience in particular vocational areas to beef up the know-how in the Oireatchas overall – but without hard power to overrule the truly democratically-elected Dáil.
The problem? Well, vocation-panel senators can be nominated by two types of bodies:
1. Genuine vocational bodies (for example, the Royal Irish Academy can nominate senators for the Cultural and Educational panel).
2. Political parties
And who votes?
1. Members of political parties.
So, who do you think gets elected? Those people nominated by the vocational bodies? Or those peopel nominated by the political parties?
What’s more, nominations to the Seanad happen after the results of Dáil elections are known. So, if someone fails to get elected to the Dáíl, their names can be put onto a Seanad tick by the party and the elected party members duly vote them in.
Quick fix?
1. Stop parties being allowed to nominate senators (there’s no constitutional reason why they should). Only genuine vocational bodies be able to nominate vocational panel senators.
2. Have the final day for nominations to the Seanad set to a date before the result of Dáil election is known to stop people who didn’t get electted to the Dáil being added to a Seanad ticket.
Also, increasing the franchise to all citizens is another idea suggested (no referendum needed, by the way, see article 19). Some form of self-selection into functional groups is sometimes suggested here so that voters would align with the vocational panels (e.g. farmers would elect the Agricultural panel, teachers would elect the Educational panel, etc.)
And just to repeat: none of this would require a referendum.
Should have abolished the Seanad … who asked us to do that?
Jaysus FG supporters are still p*ssed that voters wouldn’t vote the way Enda wanted.Get over it ffs.
Can’t see Sinn Fein transfers going to McNulty
Seems I was right. 9 disagree, there’s no pleasing some people.
finegail fina fail labour independent it dont matter there all gangsters out to line there own pockets we need to put proper people into the dail that can be held accountable
Just what we need, another teacher in Irish politics.
People should start praying to Enda Kenny ,
That man can work miracles. …
Nice win for FF !
They have us paying for smoke chargés after that
It matters not who won, it does matter that we the public did not get a vote
They can only delay bills to a max of 90days. Then it is deemed past. Finance bills a.k.a the next budget Seanad can only delay it 21 days. Otherwise it’s screw you as usual.
What are we supposed to have learned from that video?
Government is getting more ridiculous by the day. If someone said “look I’m going to take your money by force (taxes) and waste most of it in corrupt practises, suppress your ability to survive and support murder in foreign countries.” How would that sound? Well that’s what we’re voting for and paying for. It’s f*cking sick.
McNulty is an interesting surname Mac an Ultaigh “Son of the Ulsterman”
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