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Seanad General Election 2025 - University Panels

Brussels Sprout

This will be the final general election where we have the two siloed off panels for the NUI and Trinity graduates. Both will elect 3 senators each (next time there will be a single 6 member panel for all third level degree holders).

Nominations closed last Friday
Ballots go out at the end of December
Polls close on Jan 29th

Nominees are as follows:

I don't actually recognise any of the people on the NUI list apart from the 3 incumbents so I reckon they'll get reelected. It might be Ronan Mullen's final time too. He gets elected on the strength of a strong vote from Maynooth. That will be diluted in future elections.

The interesting race will be for the open seat (due to David Norris retiring) on the TCD panel. The 2 incumbents (Lynn Ruane and Tom Clonan) will probably get reelected so there'll be a right battle on for that final seat. Lots of familiar names on that list including many who went for the by-election for Ivana Bacik's seat. I fancy Ossian Smyth for the seat as I think the TCD electorate may be more Green friendly and want to provide a counter-balance to the whacking that the great unwashed gave to that party in the recent Dail election. He's also not as divisive as Hazel Chu. Special shout out to Katerine Zappone for selflessly putting her name forward for another cushy government job. In a panel full of people with very high opinions of themselves she is in a league of her own.

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Caquas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123002197#Comment_123002197

Likewise for NUI whose incumbent Senators don't face any major challenger.

https://www.nui.ie/elections/seanadelection2025/candidatesprofiles_2025.asp

I think the incumbent Trinity Senators are also safe but there will be a battle for David Norris's seat. I would guess that Ossian Smyth and Hugo McNeill are serious contenders but who knows?

https://www.tcd.ie/seanad/candidates/

Qrt

TCD Ballot arrived 30th, Lynn Ruane's Litir um Thoghchán arrived the day after, two more today for Clonan and Smyth.

Can someone please, please elaborate as to why John (Jack) Mulcahy is wearing a fez?

zell12

I did not get my ballot paper yet, nor any literature from candidates, should I contact the Registry office?

Geuze

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123013065#Comment_123013065

Yes, I saw that a few weeks ago, and asked the same question.

I don't have any answer for you.

A Trinners grad I asked said he is the son of the founder of Phoenix magazine, but could not explain the fez.

Geuze

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123024865#Comment_123024865

In 2020, do you recall getting 30 items of post from the candidates over a week or two?

If not, you are not registered.

I am NUI, and I have received three items so far.

zell12

No, I'm registered. Maybe I ticked a 'no mailings' box. I'll get in touch with them

IsaacWunder

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123013065#Comment_123013065

Mulcahy is wearing the fez as an eccentric gimmick. Hat choice aside, he doesn’t seem to be nuts.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123025852#Comment_123025852

There isn't one. Electoral material is legally not junk mail so you can't opt out.

NUI paper delivered to the house on NYE and a small amount of crap from candidates so far. If you've got nothing, you really need to check your address on the register.

Also, Alice Mary Higgins would send stuff at least annually anyway so if you got nothing from her in the past few years, your address is definitely wrong.

Caquas

Tomas Heneghan has another letter in the IT today exposing the absurdities around filling Seanad vacancies, or not in the case of David Norris and TCD. The courts have insisted on timely by-elections to fill Dáil vacancies. Should that principle apply to the Seanad?

Of course we are about to witness another episode in that constitutional but barely democratic spectacular - the election of 40 Senators by 1,165 individuals, mainly local Councillors with no national mandate.

https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/letters/2025/01/09/letters-to-the-editor-january-9th-on-social-media-and-fact-checking-and-filling-seanad-vacancies/

Sleepy

Got my ballot for the NUI panel. My voting strategy in every Seaned Election I've taken part in has always been "Whoever's most likely to knock Ronan Mullen out*" but there doesn't seem to be an obvious way to go this time…. going to have to do some reading (the literature I've received from about half the panel so far is so blandly generic as to be meaningless in figuring out the candidates values).

(*or at least punch him! 😝 )

[Deleted User]

Any other Trinity voters still waiting for their ballot papers?

I'm getting the candidate materials (Ruane, McNeil so far), so my address is right on their system.

Qrt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123038270#Comment_123038270

mine was OK, 30th arrived at the door, signature required. I’d get onto AR, they should be able to track it.

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123038044#Comment_123038044

Sandra Adams is basically Lady Mullen, so anything that excludes/pushes right to the bottom both of them is probably for the best

I suspect that if there's any chance of change, the not-FG-any-more candidate (Linda O'Shea Farren) might have the best chance even though she couldn't get elected in the locals.

Field east

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058383855/seanad-general-election-2025-university-panels

of the 12 NUI candidates , I have received canvassing literature from only two of them ie Mullen and Mc Dowell . After that I am only aware of a third canditate because of who her father is ie Ms Higgins. How do the rest expect me to consider them for a vote if they do not make some effort re what they have done, what they are about ? Etc?

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123038641#Comment_123038641

Far more of them than that have sent stuff out, it just hasn't got to you yet. Or your postman is dodgy.

StormForce13

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123038641#Comment_123038641

This link helped me to identify how many NUI candidates were jostling for my lowest preference. (A race to the bottom that was won, by a small margin, by Mickey Dee's gummy daughter.)

https://www.nui.ie/elections/seanadelection2025/candidatesprofiles_2025.asp

My son's election literature for the Trinity Seanad seats is arriving here, and I was shocked to see that Zappone - having been thwarted in her sneaky attempt to be nominated as Ireland's token whatever at the UN in New York - is now trying to sneak back into Leinster House via the notorious Trinity back passage. I have promised to leave him my priceless collection of dirty mags dating from the 1970s (many in mint condition) if he gives the Zapper an even lower preference than he's going to give the execrable Hazel Chu.

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123038590#Comment_123038590

Thanks - what is AR?

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123038598#Comment_123038598

Ah yes this header:

https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2024/02/16/gender-critical-activist-fails-in-discrimination-claim-against-national-womens-council-of-ireland/

A “gender-critical” activist who demanded a public apology and damages after being refused entry to a National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI) meeting two years ago has failed in a discrimination claim.
Sandra Adams, a member of a pressure group called The Countess, which opposes a policy of inclusivity adopted by the NWCI towards transgender women, had accused the organisation of discriminating against her on religious grounds in breach of the Equal Status Act 2000 by refusing her entry to the June 9th 2022 event at a Dublin hotel.

Religious grounds 🙄

The fortitude of the protestors who go on about "free speech" but were trying to disrupt others' freedom of association, was found to be somewhat lacking however:

The protesters eventually went away when the hotel manager offered them complimentary tea and coffee elsewhere in the building, the WRC was told.

StormForce13

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123036962#Comment_123036962

Looking on the bright side, in the next few days all of Sinn Fein's 102 elected ̶m̶u̶p̶p̶e̶t̶s̶ councillors will hand over their blank ballot sheets to some jobsworth in Bobby Sands House who will then fill them all in so as to ensure that all of SF's candidates for the various Seanad panels will get 102 first preferences. That's democracy, West Belfast style!

Qrt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123040114#Comment_123040114

Academic Registry :)

riddles

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123039197#Comment_123039197

For anyone whose able to exercise their franchise in this selective democracy - please spare a moment to reflect on how Zappone weaselled an extra 80k€ out of us tax payers in her last dail stint

https://www.thejournal.ie/katherine-zappone-travel-expenses-2732813-Apr2016/

riddles

Largely to poke Enda Kenny in the eye. He was laughing into his sleeve in relief because the place was retained.

CrabRevolution

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123042540#Comment_123042540

No surprise she felt no shame in rustling up a fake UN job to have the taxpayer pay for her trips across the Atlantic.

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123042451#Comment_123042451

Thanks, papers arrived today. The postie didn't look for a signature for registered post, but he did knock and wait for me to answer.

Who knew that ANYONE could get a copy of the register of electors (subject to certain conditions about how you use it)?

https://www.tcd.ie/seanad/seanad-eireann-election-2025/

L1011

That's been the case for electoral registers since the dawn of voting.

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123054125#Comment_123054125

There's no mention of this data sharing on the new website privacy statement;

https://seanadvoter.ie/PrivacyEN.shtml

Can anyone get a copy of the the Dail Register of Electors?

L1011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123054228#Comment_123054228

Yes, but you can only use it for electoral purposes.

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123054231#Comment_123054231

This says that;

https://www.checktheregister.ie/en-IE/privacy

The law provides that any person can inspect the register in relation to the registration of electors.
The register may only be used for electoral or other Statutory purposes.
Elected representatives and candidates receive a copy of the register.

csirl

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123038270#Comment_123038270

Same here. Have all the candidate mail shots, but still no sign of a ballot paper.

Caquas

My pen is poised over the NUI ballot paper but, apart from the three sitting Senators who all seek re-election, I never heard of any of these candidates, none of whom have held elective office. (In contrast, practically all the candidates on other bogus "panels" are career politicians, or aspire to be.)

Are we bereft of credible alternatives or are our best citizens deterred by career politicians?

Hard to choose between these NUI candidates - they all express their most sincere support for good things - health, education, disability - and promise more for all of us if elected🤔.

I would give my No. 1 to any candidate who went in there to expose the claptrap in this talking shop. Only McDowell gives detailed comments on the abject failure of Seanad reform but that doesn't deter him from seeking re-election.

Will the next Seanad election be any different? 10% of its seats will then be elected potentially by a million graduate voters but I expect an extremely low turnout with the same dispiriting lack of alternative candidates for the same old incorrigible Seanad.

https://www.nui.ie/elections/seanadelection2025/candidatesprofiles_2025.asp