Who will Enda appoint to the Senate?

goose2005

As Taoiseach, he has power to appoint 11 senators. Will we get six failed FG candidates, four failed Labour candidates and a token independent, or will he use the opportunity to admit a broader variety to the Senate? Not to mention that up to two Senators can be appointed to the cabinet - will he make use of this?

Oh_Noes

I thought he was abolishing it?

Victor

Oh_Noes wrote: »

I thought he was abolishing it?

That needs constitutional change. Constitutional change needs a referendum. A referendum needs an act passed. Passing an act needs the senate.

shadowninty

i'll bet Deirdre Clune will get a seat there

Manach

Victor wrote: »

That needs constitutional change. Constitutional change needs a referendum. A referendum needs an act passed. Passing an act needs the senate.

Barring an unusual challenge to the result of the referendum, as per the Divorce one.

voter1983

bacik will get one of the labour spots i'd say

Oasis_Dublin

Victor wrote: »

That needs constitutional change. Constitutional change needs a referendum. A referendum needs an act passed. Passing an act needs the senate.

The Seanad can hardly ignore the will of a majority of the people if it comes to it. Seanad needs to be reformed not gotten rid of.

marco_polo

Victor wrote: »

That needs constitutional change. Constitutional change needs a referendum. A referendum needs an act passed. Passing an act needs the senate.

Not strictly true can only really delay a bill, one of the reasons it is useless in its current form is that it cannot veto legislation.

In the event that a bill approved by Dáil Éireann has not received the assent of the Seanad within ninety days the Dáil may, within a further 180 days, resolve that the measure is "deemed" to have been approved by the Seanad

chucken1

marco_polo wrote: »

Not strictly true can only really delay a bill, one of the reasons it is useless in its current form is that it cannot veto legislation.

So does that mean that FG canditates were lying when they said "they would abolish the Seaned"?

marco_polo

chucken1 wrote: »

So does that mean that FG canditates were lying when they said "they would abolish the Seaned"?

It simply means it that the Seanad could not indefinately veto a bill arising from a referendum vote in favour of it it dissolution. It says nothing about FG intentions one way or the other on the matter

chucken1

marco_polo wrote: »

All it means it that the Seanad could not veto a bill arising from a referendum vote in favour of it it dissolution

Ah..ok. ta. Its all very confusing.

Oh..who are the Seaned? unelected..or who?

Colmo52

Ivor Callely.

Breezer

chucken1 wrote: »

Ah..ok. ta. Its all very confusing.

Oh..who are the Seaned? unelected..or who?

The upper house of the Oireachtas, which reviews bills passed by the Dáil before they are signed into law by the President.

Made up of representatives elected by university graduates from TCD and the NUI, representatives elected by "Vocational Panels," and directly appointed Taoiseach's nominees.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seanad_Éireann

PeterTwo

voter1983 wrote: »

bacik will get one of the labour spots i'd say

I assume she'll re-take the tcd one.

Victor

Breezer wrote: »

representatives elected by "Vocational Panels,"

They are only nominated by the vocational panels. They are elected by the combined current and previous Dail, the previous Seanad and city/county councilors.

imme

Ivor Callelly as another poster said, might be a distinct possibility:D

Seriously though, Pat Cox and to be appointed Minister for European Affairs, Dick Roche's former baby. Labour will want about 4 or 5 of the 11 Taoiseach's nominees as well. Bacik will run for Trinity seat again and win, that's if she wants to hang around after failing to get into the Dail. Or she could do a Mary Robinson and run for the Aras:eek:

Breezer

Victor wrote: »

They are only nominated by the vocational panels. They are elected by the combined current and previous Dail, the previous Seanad and city/county councilors.

My understanding was that these comprised the vocational panels. Cheers. I've never taken a huge interest in the Seanad, I deemed it to be an entirely useless institution long before the powers that be started talking about its abolition.

ISAW

Victor wrote: »

They are only nominated by the vocational panels. They are elected by the combined current and previous Dail, the previous Seanad and city/county councilors.

No I think that is wrong. The incoming Dáil and outgoing Seanad and councillors are the franchise for the panels. It is about 1000 votes. ~If you include 166 TDs and 60 Senators. I don't think Ross gets two votes though on the panels for being a senator and a TD but he does get a second one on the University Panel for being a Trinity Graduate.

outandabout

Naoise O Mhuiri and Gerry Breen could get nominations as could Mark Mortell.

imme

outandabout wrote: »

Naoise O Mhuiri and Gerry Breen could get nominations as could Mark Mortell.

yes, makes sense

doomed

Problem for Fine Gael and labour given their electoral performance is that anyone with a working brain or a pulse on their side has already been elected to the Dail or Seanad. What's left will be the real dregs. Seeing as its the last Seanad lets have some imaginative appointments and not a bunch of people who were rejected at least once already.

PeterIanStaker

Eoghan Harris

. . . after all I'm sure he used to be a Blueshirt, along with having used to be everything else, he could go back very easily to being one, while railing against those who dare criticise him of inconsistency as: "hush puppy sneaking regarder dissident provo Mary MacAleese supporting types who have never watched an episode of Sharpe"

ninty9er

Liam Quinn is an outside possibility, did Colm Burke get elected in the Seanad General?