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THE 2013 REFERENDUM to abolish Seanad Éireann was flatly rejected by the people of Ireland. Why? We can only speculate but I am confident that few, if any, voters would vote to keep the outdated and ineffective upper house we operate in today.
Sadly the upper house is still being used as a resting place for many Dáil Éireann hopefuls. Every day, the “Order of Business” is subjected to impassioned speeches where Senators congratulate their “constituency” on some event or other. Commencement
Debates are used by many Senators to question or lobby ministers on some pressing “constituency” issue rather than issues pertaining to the vocational panel they represent. What constituency are these speakers referring to? Are members of Seanad Éireann confused as to who or what they represent?
Senators acting like County Councillors
Apart from the six members of the University Panel who were elected by a specific constituency, no other member of the upper house can lay claim to any specific geographic constituency. Senators are elected to vocational panels and not a geographic area. Yet too many members of the upper house try to ensure they act as they would were they elected as a Dáil Deputy or worse still to act as a City or County Councillor.
In order to represent a vocational panel a candidate for a Seanad election is required to be suitably qualified. However these qualifications are vague or non-specific, allowing for widescale abuse over they years.
The five vocational panels (Agricultural, Administration, Cultural and Education, Industrial and Commercial and Labour) that account for 43 Seanad seats have been hijacked by the party political system to serve the needs of the political parties themselves.
A worthwhile exercise to support this view would be an examination of the websites or business cards of members of the upper house. Many members have been appointed by their political party as the Seanad spokesperson on some area, which is directly aligned to a Government Ministry.
The upper house divides into a Government and Opposition. Why? To ensure that the Seanad replicates the Dáil as closely as possible, nurturing the party’s up and coming hopefuls, or providing a safe resting place for those currently out of favour with the Dáil electorate.
Imagine a reformed Seanad
Imagine a Seanad where candidates for election would have to publish a CV and prove they were fully qualified under a strict criteria to run for the appropriate panels. A Seanad that truly examined legislation, national and EU, and truly held the Government of the day to account.
Imagine a “full” chamber listening to qualified experts from “vocational panels” debate the pros and cons of a Bill or EU Directive. Imagine vocational experts debating and swaying the opinions of the 60 members to ensure that legislation when passed was best suited to its purpose and the citizens of this country. What a change that would be. Imagine if a Seanad where people voted based on the outcome of a debate and not on the orders of the party whip.
Trivialities of a dysfunctional chamber
Members of the Seanad frequently complain of a lack of interest from the media in the upper house. Why would the media cover anything but the trivialities that emerge in this dysfunctional chamber? Senators talking about their entitlements to All-Ireland tickets and discussing seagulls are all too easy clickbait for online news.
There has, however, been a few changes since the last election. The Government majority is gone and as such Ministers must now work with Senators in order to get their legislation through. It is within this space there is finally, albeit painstakingly, an opportunity for reform.
Improving the democracy of the Seanad
There is legislation on the structural changes to how we elect our Senators that has already been put before the Seanad, and there will undoubtedly be major differences on some of the substantive elements in that Bill, but it is at least the start of much needed legislative basis for reform. Perhaps there will shortly be an opportunity for a referendum to remove the Taoiseach’s eleven nominees to the Seanad, further improving the democracy of the upper house.
Independents and other members of the Seanad, who advocate its reform, cannot now rest on their laurels waiting for the Reform Bill to pass. The numerical makeup of the current house presents real opportunities for Senators to show their mettle now and bring about real reform in how the house does its business.
Brexit negotiations – an opportunity to make a difference
Brexit is one such opportunity where the Seanad can demonstrate to the Irish people that voting for its retention was a worthwhile democratic expression. Over the next few months, the Seanad has agreed to come together and develop an all-member inquiry into how to best represent Ireland’s interests in Brexit negotiations.
The House of Lords in its all-party report said that the UK needs a separate bilateral trade agreement with Ireland. The question is will that be what Ireland needs? What form Brexit will take is not something the Irish government can answer, let alone the Seanad, but how best we can position ourselves certainly is.
Northern Ireland, food, fisheries and finance areas where some work has begun on but what about education, research and health? There are few areas of the Irish economy and society that will be left untouched by Brexit and it is my hope that in 2017 the Seanad can work for the Irish people and make tangible rather than trivial differences to their lives.
Gerard Craughwell was one of the first ever independent Senators elected to the Seanad. Prior to his election to the Seanad, Gerard was a teacher in Further Education working in Dun Laoghaire. He was elected President of the Teachers’ Union of Ireland in 2012 and held that post until 2014. Upon his election to the Seanad he was obliged to take a career break from his teaching post. He was re-elected to the Seanad in 2016, on the Labour Panel.
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It tells us a lot about the culture and working of the seanad when the biggest story to come out of it last year was senators entitlement to free all ireland final tickets.
Still, those were media headlines – it’s the media’s whole job to entertain and advertise. Our Senate covers a lot of issues, have a look. http://oireachtasdebates.oireachtas.ie/debates%20authoring/debateswebpack.nsf/yearlist?readform&chamber=seanad
@Adrian: In fairness I do not believe it was the biggest issue to be discussed there. The Independents have ad a significant on the legislative system where Ministers are no longer assured of their majority whipped vote. The point here is it could do so much more if the wil is there to reform it.
Senators my hole,these people for the most part are egotists with little or no regard for the public good! Parasites on the public expenditure who like nothing more than the sound of their own voices.And the hypocrisy of aodhan o riordan voting against it then taking the seat was an insult to the electorate.
@Fiona Fitzgerald: You are correct and the current Seanad has had a significant impact on recent legislation
@Dave cullen: Dave I think you should read the contributions made in the Seanad by recently elected Senators all of whom have had a significant impact.
@Senator G Craughwell: Not to many THUMPS UP across your comments senator .. ‘ I am not sure if you’ should ‘participate.’ ……… !
I would suspect that the majority of people don’t see the Seanad been an effective body. They can’t stop any legislations, they can only delay it passage. They can’t change legislation, they can only offer suggestion. They’re not effective at introducing new legislation into the Dail.
@Senator G Craughwell: The Seanad flagged CETA at a time when it was highly relevant but (deliberately?) being underdiscussed elsewhere in the Oireachtas. I voted to retain the Seanad in the referendum and my reasons were about the potential of the Seanad and not how it was being constituted by the Irish political parties. I absolutely did not trust FG (or Labour) in the motive for putting forward the referendum (the dishonest claim that it amounted to political reform and reduction in number of politicians and that the Seanad could not be reformed (Enda Kenny’s position stated by Varadkar on Vincent Browne’s TV3 show), I did not trust them to (if they had won) transparently dissolve the Seanad (e.g. not sneaking in something in the legislation with wider consequences. That said the Seanad desperately needs serious reform to be relevent and the possibility of that in the current party political environment is extremely unlikely.
@Senator G Craughwell: The Seanad us a pointless, undemocratic, waste of money. Aren’t you embarrassed to be surrounded by so many other failed politicians who can only get their snouts in the trough by the back door method of Seanad elections and their tiny electorate?
Well done for engaging with the journal Senator in a transparent and honest manner a pleasant change from other politicians. It’s such a shame that the reform needed by the house has not been taken place as promised when the motion was defeated. In your opinion what reforms are needed to have a fully functional second house and what is the first step to it taking place?
Don’t mind the red thumbs haters going to hate….
Amazing that people who supported the abolition of the senate are now the first ones to fill in the expenses sheets and collect salary.# snouts in trough.
@john g mcgrath: Yeah, one particular Labour senator Aodhan O Riordhain for example. Nauseating hypocrisy at his worst!
Curious to see what the author as a senator himself thinks of the hypocrisy of Aodhan O Riordhain? #thetwitfromtwitter
A bit like a real politician in a way senator.Answer the questions you want to. What if I ask you your favourite pizza topping??
The truth is nominations for the Seanad election should close on the same day as they do for the Dail. I am totally opposed to the use of the Seanad as a consolation prize for anyone. I hope this answers your query.
We should be allowed to vote again because we got it completely wrong the last time!
For once we agree on something.
Think this lay about store should be given the axe . The likes of Heather Humphreys and her free GAA tickets entitlement. The like of her and more should go on job seekers and learn how the real people of Ireland live.
Heather Humphreys is a member of the Dail not the Seanad.. that was Michelle Mulherin you are referring to, but she should be retired as should the rest of them, half the Dail and CC’s too
All anyone wanted was to vote against Ends. He hoodwinked the nation again. Seanad waste of taxpayers money full stop…
@Willy Malone: Just imagine how free the Government would be if there were no Seanad. Imagine how hard Ministers would have to work if they were not assured of a whipped majority. A reformed Seanad could do so much more.
@Willy Malone:
So because Kenny proposed abolition of the Seanad, it’s his fault it’s still there?
That’s some pretty twisted logic right there.
Maybe people could take some personal responsibility for how they voted, rather than whinging that Enda made them do it by proposing the opposite.
@Willy Malone: Enda hookwinked no one. The stupidity of the Irish population was laid bare. Kept the Seanad to give Enda a bloody nose.
@Gerard – the notion of the second house from an oversight and governance perspective. But sometimes you need to start again.
@Brinster: do you get time and a half os double time for working on a sunday?
Oh can we please stop with the crap. . As soon as someone has a difference of opinion they are accused of being a shill or a troll . It’s ridiculously immature!
@Bejasus Bejorrah:
How incredibly funny and original you are.
Not pathetic at all.
Thank you for your incredibly incisive retort…did you think that ip by yourself?
Did you see the SIPO reports where FG Fraperoom lackeys charged €93k for their services?
….. “I am confident that few, if any, voters would vote to keep the outdated and ineffective upper house we operate in today”
I BET THEY WOULD !…the Irish electorate are one of the must gullible easily led electorate in Europe..that’s why we have been plagued with the politics of FG & FF for ever and a day, and why we vote NO, YES, NO, YES again..and DONT KNOW….we are electorally stupid !
@CJ Stewart: Well now CJ that is just a bit harsh on the Irish electorate but I am not sure if you participate.
@Senator G Craughwell: well senator..since you are not sure..why open your mouth in the first place… ? ? ? ?
How about allowing citizens to vote for their senators? Like they do in other democratic countries. Im not a fan of the senate but we need it
@Michael Collins: The current Seanad reform Bill has this included in it.
@Michael Collins: that in the reform bill he mentions http://www.oireachtas.ie/viewdoc.asp?DocID=33177
We have the veneer of Democracy. A lot more representation could be done if these institutions were modernised.
I voted to keep the Seanad, but it badly needs reform, PROPER reform.
The only thing the Seanad change’s is their paychecks.
Reform will never be on the agenda. Something that useless needs to be abolished.
In that case, you effectively voted for FF to reform the Seanad as they were the only major party to ‘promise’ such reform. SF, I have to say, rose in my estimation when they supported abolition as they recognised that reform was never going to happen.
Let have another vote on this lot…
The reason people voted against abolishing the Seanad was very simple, they feared handing TD’s total power, especially after bringing the country to the brink of bankruptcy (and other abuses) with the power they already had.
An Seanad allows nominee Seanators of the Taoiseach, such as Marie Louise, draw a good salary and to express sycophantic adoration of the Taoiseach.
It also gives a platform to eccentric and obsessed types to voice strong fumdamentalist Roman Catholic dogma.
I voted for retention and would do so again. Its true the Seanad is largely a talking shop. But as the Senator says, the govt no longer has a majority there and as such, if the Seanad puts its mind to it it can wield real influence through the delaying power.
have your say