Abolish the Seanad?

grizzly · 09-01-2011 05:32PM #1

According to this poll, 60% want it abolished. I was wondering how boards matched this result.

Archeron · 09-01-2011 05:33PM

I want to hear Sean Connery reading out this thread title.

galwayrush · 09-01-2011 05:37PM

Aww, no rewards for a few failed and unelectable politicans......:D

Cheap Thrills! · 09-01-2011 05:40PM

We can use this to scrape it.

Badgermonkey · 09-01-2011 05:40PM

I'd like it reformed -

Vouched transparent and reduced expenses

End appointing those who've been rejected in General Elections

End NUI graduate system

Insist Donie Cassidy loses the wig

spider guardian · 09-01-2011 05:42PM

Scrap it, it's little more than an expensive talking shop. All it's good for is 'jobs for the boys'.

bungler · 09-01-2011 05:45PM

Scrapped, bunch of useless of waffeling tarts

Red Alert · 09-01-2011 05:45PM

First of all, it should be decided if an "upper house" is necessary, and what its function should be. If it's decided that it has a job to do, then set it up to meet the requirements. I personally think it should go, and the Dail should pick up the slack. The committees should also be reviewed too, a job for another thread.

paky · 09-01-2011 05:47PM

the presidency should be abolished, seanad reformed perhaps

Red Alert · 09-01-2011 05:48PM

I would also be in favour of abolishing the presidency too.

starbelgrade · 09-01-2011 05:54PM

Populist nonsense.

It could do with reform, but the notion of abolishing it is just a smokescreen used by the likes of Fine Gael to try & distract us from what should really be happening - which is to reduce the number of TDs in the Dail.

I see no point in getting rid of the Presidency either. Not every single decision that is made politically these days should be about money. That's a dangerous way to decide things.

starbelgrade · 09-01-2011 05:56PM

Why are the poll results hidden?

If I had known that this was a secret ballot, I wouldn't have voted at all.

grizzly · 09-01-2011 06:02PM

starbelgrade wrote: »

Why are the poll results hidden?

If I had known that this was a secret ballot, I wouldn't have voted at all.

My mistake, I thought hidden meant the poster IDs didn't show under the results.

Can a mod please edit?

FYI it's currently;
Scrap 52 71.23%
Reform 20 27.40%
as is 1 1.37%

Iwasfrozen · 09-01-2011 06:03PM

Exactly, open the poll results.

Seaneh · 09-01-2011 06:04PM

It should be scrapped and the number of TD's should be brought down to about 90.
why a country of 4,470,000 needs 166 members of parliament and a further 60 member of a house not voted for by the public is beyond me...

Jake Rugby Walrus666 · 09-01-2011 06:10PM

grizzly wrote: »

My mistake, I thought hidden meant the poster IDs didn't show under the results.

Can a mod please edit?

FYI it's currently;
Scrap: 28 75.68%
reform:9 24.32%
As is:0 0%

....and you want to run the country. :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

AnneElizabeth · 09-01-2011 06:11PM

Abolish it, a long with the Presidency and get qualified people to be our ministers, e.g. a qualified doctor should be Minister for Health etc.
Also abolish Irish language funding while we're at it. Waste of money imo.

grizzly · 09-01-2011 06:17PM

Jake Rugby Walrus666 wrote: »

....and you want to run the country. :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Yes, yes I do Jake Rugby Walrus666, can I count on your vote?

Jake Rugby Walrus666 · 09-01-2011 06:19PM

AnneElizabeth wrote: »

a qualified doctor should be Minister for Health

Somebody with business skills should be Minister for Health

Jake Rugby Walrus666 · 09-01-2011 06:21PM

grizzly wrote: »

Yes, yes I do Jake Rugby Walrus666, can I count on your vote?

I'll be carefully watching how you resolve the Poll cluster ****....you might get my vote. Alternatively you can bribe me.

starbelgrade · 09-01-2011 06:25PM

AnneElizabeth wrote: »

get qualified people to be our ministers, e.g. a qualified doctor should be Minister for Health etc.

I really don't see why a Minister for Health should have to be a qualified doctor. That makes no sense at all.

sollar · 09-01-2011 06:31PM

I would like to see it reformed into something useful but i'd have no faith in our lot getting it right so just scrap it.

Son Of A Vidic · 09-01-2011 06:55PM

Not only should the Seanad be abolished but the Dáil should also have a significant cull. There are roughly 10.48 sitting MP's per million population in the British parliament. The Dáil has 37.13 sitting TD's per million population. So we have 3.54 times the level of political representation than our neighbour has. Why is this so? If we reduced this ridiculous number say to UK levels, then we would have 46 TD's in the Dáil. Puts things in perspective doesn't it? I think 55 TD's would be plenty and let's also do away with this junior minister bullsh1t.

Ali Babba · 09-01-2011 07:16PM

Jake Rugby Walrus666 wrote: »

Somebody with business skills should be Minister for Health

All ministers should be suitably qualified, in fact they should have a degree in politics before they're allowed practice as ministers in the first place and like other posters have said, health minister should be a doctor, finance minister should be an accountant etc.

The whole system in this country should be scrapped anyway it's a total mess that will never be solved unless there's a revolution. I heard a story the other day where some person has a job stamping pet pass ports and earns around 130k euros a year!!! When you hear stories like this it gives me very little hope for the future of the country.

AnneElizabeth · 09-01-2011 07:17PM

starbelgrade wrote: »

I really don't see why a Minister for Health should have to be a qualified doctor. That makes no sense at all.

Someone who knows what they're talking about. Not who's buddies with the Taoiseach. We should get to vote for the ministers.

Riddle101 · 09-01-2011 07:21PM

No need to abolish the Seanad altogether, just reform it. Although that's pretty much my view on everything really. Reform the seanad, reform the health care system, reform the education system. But it's just my general opinion.

galwayrush · 09-01-2011 07:30PM

Have to admit though, if someone in the next Government wants to give me a nominated Senators job, i'll change my mind and will be all for it.
I could live an amazing life of luxury on the expenses alone.;)

Oh_Noes · 09-01-2011 07:31PM

Corvus Maximus wrote: »

So we have 3.54 times the level of political representation than our neighbour has. Why is this so?

Why is the UK always quoted as an example of why we should change something here? Because it's our nearest neighbor so somehow we should replicate it? Surely there are countries in much better cultural/financial shape for us to look to as an example.

Abolishing the Seanad would most likely leave the whole country in a legal mess and require the whole constitution to be rewritten.

It should be completely reformed so that it's not just a puppet of mainstream political parties and a talking shop for politicians that failed to be elected to the Dail.

spider guardian · 09-01-2011 07:34PM

galwayrush wrote: »

Have to admit though, if someone in the next Government wants to give me a nominated Senators job, i'll change my mind and will be all for it.
I could live an amazing life of luxurt on the expenses alone.;)

you could claim some nice expenses living in galway, even if you move somewhere else!

Redr · 09-01-2011 07:37PM

I love it - let's 'scrape' the Seanad! I was on a visit to the Dail a couple of years ago and we wandered into the Seanad. Dossers! The boyo's were reading the paper, having whispered chats, peering back to see if anyone from their neck of the woods was a visitor observing proceedings, while earning €60,000 plus expenses per year. They are answerable to no-one.

Remember - Eoghan Harris became Senator after his sycophantic appearance on the Late Late Show in 2007 in which he spewed forth unbelieveably vomitous tosh about one Bertie Ahern.

And Bertie said ... Thou Shalt Be Senator

Robert Mugabe, Pol Pot, Idi Amin (be they dead or alive) are shivering with admiration.

That's Irish Democracy for ya!

galwayrush · 09-01-2011 07:38PM

spider guardian wrote: »

you could claim some nice expenses living in galway, even if you move somewhere else!

In Ireland i could, in the UK i would be jailed......;)

Abolish the Seanad?

It should be 161 votes

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