2022 Seanad by-election

This discussion isnt about me.

Disabled people have told me they were upset about his social media and how they felt it talked about disabled people. The Independent Living Movement Ireland released a statement on the matter.

What was it about the millionaire MacNeill that attracted Jennifer I wonder?

If you bothered your arse to read what I said, it never disputed his right to stand. If you had a vote and were bothered to use it, you were more than welcome to give it to him. That he wastes the opportunity is speaks for himself and I'd reckon he probably comes from a fairly well-to-do background where he had everything handed to him easy and appreciates nothing.

What you often have with people like that is that they want the limelight and want to get elected onto these things but then either haven't the competency or the work ethic to actually do something. His bio says he had a "silver medal" in some other election. So he wants to do these things but then fails badly and has to try to cover up by trying to take the pi$s.

He ran a joke election because he wanted to run but knew he didn't have a hope of being elected. So he ran as a "joke".

Plenty of students run those type of campaigns. Sometimes as an actual tactic to try to win a student election. And sometimes just as a vanity project dressed up as a joke. the "joke" aspect is really just getting your excuses in first to save face.

Either way, it's highly disrespectful to the democratic institutions of the state. The State being the ultimate entity which facilitates his current lifestyle as a student.

Ultimately the "joke" backfires when you see that the system is actually open to everyone. He now will never have any reason to moan about the political system. Because he had the opportunity to be part of it and he failed.

Neither of them is a vanity project to the same extent as they run under assumed names.

Edit: Here is an interview with him

I mean, he briefly mentions things that are actual issues, but instead of using the opportunity to try to raise awareness of those issues, he uses it to shout over them with a "look at me, look at me. Sure amn't I a mad bastard altogether" strategy

People can vote in it ..... duh.

Just because there is an election, it doesn't make it undemocratic if you aren't in a particular constituency. I can't vote for a TD in Cork, and then one in Galway, then one in Louth.

People appointed are done so by people elected and whose prerogative it is to do so. The DU representatives are directly elected by the votes of its electorate. And it is open for any person to become part of that electorate by simply graduating from there.

No, but you vote for people as your representatives to put others in there.

Having a directly elected upper house would just be repeating the Dail and defeating its purpose. The university reps are a bit of an outlier in this regard. But there would have been philosophical justifications for it back in the day I suppose.

You can also get access through the NUI ones if you can't get the points to be a "pompous Trinners grad". Trinity also runs a few access programmes and is very accessible as a mature student.

Fun fact, the University of Dublin used to confer degrees on what were DIT graduates back in the day. So I presume those also have a Seanad vote.

I think that comes under the ancient doctrine of "tough titties".

The aspect of the Seanad which is a joke is failed TDs being granted seats on panels, for which they are supposed to be "experts", but for which they would appear to have no background at all.

In many ways, the university candidates are the most deserving and valid candidates of their positions

Yes, DIT graduates with TCD degrees (such as myself) do have votes in the TCD Seanad election. Only one candidate thought to mention "TCD and DIT graduates" in their leaflet however.

The Irish electorate voted overwhelmingly in 1979 to add the 7th amendment to the constitution permitting all university graduates to be added to the electorate for the six university seats - but this has never been legislated for.

That may be a reflection of the number on the register.

Being pedantic (and open to correction) but I'd imagine that you wouldn't have a "TCD degree". Your degree would likely have been conferred by Dublin University. It is the same body which awards degrees to "TCD graduates". Both are/were probably conferred by Dublin University. (TCD being the only consituent college of Dublin University.)

Apathy can pave the way for more sinister candidates to get elected. Telling people that the process,or the institution, doesn't matter increase that apathy and disengagement.

If the Seanad doesn't matter, or if any political election doesn't really matter, then why would I bother going to the effort of voting? Whereas the ones with an agenda will make an effort. They will rally their troops. They will sneak in in the face of that apathy.

People making a joke of the process do affect that.

Give me the name of one person who was inspired to run by Trump who would not have run otherwise? Given that you appear to be trying to take a personal dig for some reason.

If you decide to read the words in my posts I never objected to his existence either. I merely said I would not have any time for him. He is as entitled to run as anyone else who can get the 10 nominations. It is just unfortunate that he decides to do so.

That was the "lady" who used to try to get articles of herself in the likes of the Sun with photos of her with her knockers out.

She used to be an amateur model (read that as let random fellas take photos of her in the nip) and then tried to make a big deal out of performing a sex scene naked in some film or series.

Nothing wrong with any of that, but I'd reckon her running for anything had more to do with publicity than actual political ambition. Claiming to be a Trump fan would be one way to increase the publicity. I would count her on a par with your man and his "joke" campaign.

The failure to enact the referundum of 1979 is a joke and makes a mockery of the Dail. It should be an issue for every referendum campaign ever since.

I'm not wrong. You just didn't understand the point

Technically, there is no such thing as a "TCD degree". Trinity College does not have authority to award degrees. You may read about it even of wikipedia if you want https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Dublin