Prime Time Seanad Referendum Debate, RTE 1 9.35

hotmail.com

Well Enda is washing his hair, so Richard Bruton has stepped in to debate against the FF leader Michael Martin. The debate will be chaired by Miriam.

Tweets from Sinn Fein accounts will not be read out.

Lady Chatterton

Enda is spineless, he refuses to take part in debates or give interviews unless they're harmless soft focus ones that his spindoctors can control.

hotmail.com

FG still saying its abolition will save the State €20. (million)

Lapin

Bruton is being a prick here and encouraging me to vote no.

Lady Chatterton

I really wish we were being given the opportunity to vote to reform the Seanad :mad:


If it was up to me, I'd get rid of the Taoiseach's nominees and give every citizen a vote.

hotmail.com

Fianna Fail are now fans of Mary Robinson and David Norris. They can be unbelievable sometimes.

Lady Chatterton

Lapin wrote: »

Bruton is being a prick here and encouraging me to vote no.

I'm not a supporter of Micheal Martin's but I loved when he said that he regularly appeared on Primetime and other programmes. It was a lovely dig at Enda.

JohnBoy26

hotmail.com wrote: »

FG still saying its abolition will save the State €20.

Their going to save a lot aren't they

Atlantic Dawn

The property tax,what party agreed that with the IMF?

I'm against cost as being the sole reason for getting rid of the Seanad, however the elitest way members are elected doesn't represent democracy. In addition the level of thieving scum who use expenses like confetti irritates me. I'd be open for a 3rd option on the ballot to a continue with reform option.

coolhull

hotmail.com wrote: »

Fianna Fail are now fans of Mary Robinson and David Norris. They can be unbelievable sometimes.

I actually like Norris, cranky though he is. I think he's earned the right to be cranky.
Mary Robinson - meh

irishfeen

Is is a bad thing that I actually like Richard Bruton?

Lady Chatterton

It's kinda ironic that Bruton was involved in a leadership heave and now Enda is letting him do his job for him.

Lapin

I love the way they keep comparing us to similar sized countries like Denmark, Sweden and Norway.

By that token should we not go the whole hog and abolish the presidency too and reintroduce a monarchy ?

Gryire

What a waste of taxpayers money

hotmail.com

coolhull wrote: »

I actually like Norris, cranky though he is. I think he's earned the right to be cranky.
Mary Robinson - meh

I just think it's so cynical that FF are promoting former senators that they opposed for years. Michael Martin mentioning family planning, something FF opposed for so long.

Lapin

Richard Dawkins ????

Call me Al

irishfeen wrote: »

Is is a bad thing that I actually like Richard Bruton?

Oh yes! A very bad thing!

Lady Chatterton

I love John Crown, he is reason enough to vote No!

Crown is doing a better job defending the Seanad than Martin is.

Hitchens

vicwatson

John Crown pleading to keep his job !!

He should stick to his job as a Hospital consultant really.

Lady Chatterton

vicwatson wrote: »

John Crown pleading to keep his job !!

He should stick to his job as a Hospital consultant really.

No he is not, he donates his Seanad salary to cancer research so he gains nothing personally from his role as a Senator.

Skid X

If I could think of one productive thing the Seanad has ever done, I might consider voting no.

The Fianna Fail stunt to recall the Seanad during the Summer was typical - the Senator who organised it went off on holiday instead of going into Leinster House while the debate is on.

And some of the Taoiseachs nominees were very dubious in merit - Ivor Callely, Marie Louise O'Donnell, Eoghan Harris. It is too rotten to save.

Atlantic Dawn

Hitchens wrote: »

Who gives them the free seats so I can lifetime boycott them?

JohnBoy26

vicwatson wrote: »

John Crown pleading to keep his job !!

He should stick to his job as a Hospital consultant really.

I think he made some good points there and he's right about ends Kenny too. He should be there tonight, there is no excuse.

Lapin

Skid X wrote: »

And some of the Taoiseachs nominees were very dubious in merit - Ivor Callely, Marie Louise O'Donnell, Eoghan Harris. It is too rotten to save.

Too rotten to save in its current format but not beyond reform.

vicwatson

MrsD007 wrote: »

No he is not, he donates his Seanad salary to cancer research so he gains nothing personally from his role as a Senator.

He's either an Oncologist or a bloody Politician, pretending to be both is both ridiculous and insulting to the people of Ireland.

vicwatson

Skid X wrote: »

If I could think of one productive thing the Seanad has ever done, I might consider voting no.

The Fianna Fail stunt to recall the Seanad during the Summer was typical - the Senator who organised it went off on holiday instead of going into Leinster House while the debate is on.

And some of the Taoiseachs nominees were very dubious in merit - Ivor Callely, Marie Louise O'Donnell, Eoghan Harris. It is too rotten to save.

Lisa McDonald in Wexford, remember her? She went for election on a Fianna Fail ticket, didn't get elected but got a seat in the Seanad from Bertie instead. A Joke !

Harry Angstrom

The cost is a drop in the ocean. What's more important is that the Seanad is nothing more than a pointless doss house.

vicwatson

If Fianna Fail are saying don't abolish it I will do the complete opposite.

irishfeen

Call me Al wrote: »

Oh yes! A very bad thing!

Bows my head in shame.... ... honestly though Bruton should be Taoiseach, not spineless Enda.

Inspector Coptoor

vicwatson wrote: »

He's either an Oncologist or a bloody Politician, pretending to be both is both ridiculous and insulting to the people of Ireland.

So talented people just stick to one thing?
Even though his expertise could be used in Dail committees or the Seanad?

vicwatson

Harry Angstrom wrote: »

The cost is a drop in the ocean. What's more important is that the Seanad is nothing more than a pointless doss house.

Precisely.

A saving of €20 mill a year, is €20 mill a year, in any mans terms that's a whole lot of money all the same.

Lady Chatterton

vicwatson wrote: »

He's either an Oncologist or a bloody Politician, pretending to be both is both ridiculous and insulting to the people of Ireland.

He is regarded as one of the top oncologists in this country and he chooses to work in the Seanad without receiving any payment for it. I think you're attacking the wrong guy.

I have a serious issue with people like Mary O'Rourke who was a nominated after she lost her seat :mad:

Lapin

If they told me they were going to sack the civil servants working with the Seanad rather than redeploy them elsewhere, I'd vote for that.

If a wing in a private sector industry is abolished, the staff go with it.

I'd like to see public servants live in the real world.

Hitchens

Joe O'Connor is a wannabe senator :P

take everything

MrsD007 wrote: »

It's kinda ironic that Bruton was involved in a leadership heave and now Enda is letting him do his job form him.

In fairness, having the balls to debate it on national tv will do him no harm for the furture leadership. Which i'm sure he well knows.

Atlantic Dawn

vicwatson wrote: »

Precisely.

A saving of €20 mill a year, is €20 mill a year, in any mans terms that's a whole lot of money all the same.

It's about a third of what we are borrowing per day to run the country, it's pocket change in the overall government budget.

Harry Angstrom

MrsD007 wrote: »

I have a serious issue with people like Mary O'Rourke who was a nominated after she lost her seat :mad:

And Eoghan Harris getting a seat from Bertie as a reward for being his number one fan prior to the 2007 general election :mad:

Hitchens

the Altar Boy using Gerry Adams to bolster his shaky position :rolleyes:

take everything

Jaysus Martin would want to check under his car before he goes home tonight.

jjf1974

vicwatson wrote: »

Lisa McDonald in Wexford, remember her? She went for election on a Fianna Fail ticket, didn't get elected but got a seat in the Seanad from Bertie instead. A Joke !

Fidelma healy eames went for election on a Fine Gael ticket in Galway west,didnt get elected but got a seat in the Seaned from Enda instead. A joke !

coolhull

I can't stand Martin or FF, but in fairness he's running rings around Little Richard

skydish79

Richard bruton must feel very insecure about his height, himself & miriam are on a platform while michael martin's on the ground

vicwatson

Would you say Michael Martin is gone out for a smoke during the break?

Oh no..wait..

Hitchens

jjf1974 wrote: »

Fidelma healy eames went for election on a Fine Gael ticket in Galway west,didnt get elected but got a seat in the Seaned from Enda instead. A joke !

a very good arguement to get rid of it

Busted Flat.

irishfeen wrote: »

Is is a bad thing that I actually like Richard Bruton?

Well people from Cork still think Jack Lynch was a great TShirt, he might have been a great hurler, but a TShirt he was a disaster.

hotmail.com

Michael Martin looking like an idiot so far.

Lady Chatterton

Micheal Martin is the worst person to have on this programme defending the Seanad. Crown would have been 100 times better. No matter what FF say, even when they have something valid to say it's dismissed because of the feck up they've made of this country.

Rips

MrsD007 wrote: »

I really wish we were being given the opportunity to vote to reform the Seanad :mad:


If it was up to me, I'd get rid of the Taoiseach's nominees and give every citizen a vote.

No, we aren't being given a direct option to vote for reform, we are being duped by a carrot on a stick. But you do have an opportunity. Vote No, and give the Seanad reform bill a chance to pass.

As Micheal Martin rightly said, the proposed cuts in salary are real overnight savings, not the theoretical 20 million in 2 or 3 years time.

irishfeen

take everything wrote: »

In fairness, having the balls to debate it on national tv will do him no harm for the furture leadership. Which i'm sure he well knows.

Yeah, the next leader of Fine Gael for me...

Days 298

Atlantic Dawn wrote: »

It's about a third of what we are borrowing per day to run the country, it's pocket change in the overall government budget.

If people don't have a problem with small waste they shouldn't scream when the big waste is tackled. I'll take €20 million saving any day especially when the effects will be close to nil.