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Seanad Reform

  • 16-08-2005 1:07pm
    #1
    foxybrowne
    Closed Accounts Posts: 520 ✭✭✭


    Was just reading about the U.S. political system on Wikipedia. Seanad Éireann could perhaps be remodeled on the U.S. Senate. Each county could directly elect an equal number of Senators and the Dáil seats could be divided up as per population. Whats the view on this?


Comments

  • #2
    gurramok
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,992 ✭✭✭✭gurramok


    I concur as I and maybe a couple of million others don't have the right to vote for the Seanad.
    But then again, why should it be democatically elected instead of its status now?!


  • #3
    therecklessone
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 17,213 ✭✭✭✭therecklessone


    foxybrowne wrote:
    Was just reading about the U.S. political system on Wikipedia. Seanad Éireann could perhaps be remodeled on the U.S. Senate. Each county could directly elect an equal number of Senators and the Dáil seats could be divided up as per population. Whats the view on this?

    To what end?

    Better to adjust the balance of power in both Dail and Seanad to encourage opposition/Seanad legislative efforts. At present, both houses merely rubber stamp government policy which I believe to be unhealthy, and a waste of parliamnetary resources.

    On the topic of Seanad reform, I'd like to see government control of the house eased, either through direct election of members, or adjusting the electoral cycle so that an incoming government does not get to load the hosue to its own benefit. There are some capable voices on the Seanad benches, might be an idea to utilise them.


  • #4
    DadaKopf
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,731 ✭✭✭DadaKopf


    How about scrapping the Seanad altogether? Why not have a unicameral legislature? There's a good few of them in Europe and they work well. I don't actually see the point of an upper house provided the courts, the President and civil society do their jobs. We already have experts, they're called the civil service!


  • #5
    Board@Work
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 375 ✭✭Board@Work


    foxybrowne wrote:
    Was just reading about the U.S. political system on Wikipedia. Seanad Éireann could perhaps be remodeled on the U.S. Senate. Each county could directly elect an equal number of Senators and the Dáil seats could be divided up as per population. Whats the view on this?


    Terrible idea.. no offence
    It would give the voters of counties like leitrim where there is very little population equal power in the seanad to the voters in dublin where there is a far greater population.

    IMO that is one of the problems of the American system. Montana has two senators while Washington DC (of equal population size) has none. Not very fair is it...


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