Defence of the Seanad
Senator Leyden rejects the Taoiseach’s criticism of the Seanad and challenges the Government to debate abolition or reform openly.
I found the Taoiseach’s comments in launching the Bill quite offensive when he said the Seanad did nothing to challenge the unsustainable policies of the Celtic tiger. Will the Leader of the House invite the Taoiseach to argue his case in this House, bearing in mind that in 2007 the published manifesto of Fine Gael and the Labour Party was to protect progress? What an endorsement. It is like accusing the steerage passengers on the Titanic of being responsible for the ship hitting the iceberg. It is a groundless accusation. At the time the Seanad debated and passed legislation with the Government. We were not the Government. Whatever Government is in place, the Seanad is not the Government. It was a most offensive and unfortunate comment.
It is offensive to Fine Gael Members of this House, to previous Leaders of the House and to previous Senators. I am very disappointed in the Taoiseach. I have high personal regard for him as someone from the west. If I was in Fine Gael, I would have voted for him to retain his position as leader of the party at that stage, although I am not sure I would do it now.
In the general election of 2011, a commitment was given to keep the accident and emergency unit in Roscommon Hospital open. It is now closed. The Taoiseach made a commitment to reduce the Dáil by 20 seats. Since then he has said it would require a constitutional amendment but he will not have a referendum on that topic. He also said he would not introduce abortion, and he is introducing a Bill to bring in abortion. All the commitments made by the Taoiseach at the last general election have been broken and it is an extraordinary situation.
I attended-----
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-----the Constitutional Convention in Malahide, that beautiful part of the constituency of our leader in the Seanad. I asked the chairman, Tom Arnold, if it was ignoring the elephant in the room and how a convention that cost €60,000 for each meeting could not and would not discuss the most important change in the history of the State, the abolition of Seanad Éireann. I told him why the convention was ignoring it - because the Taoiseach was afraid the convention would not recommend the abolition of Seanad Éireann but its reform and he was afraid to put that question to the convention. If the convention cannot discuss that most important issue, why is it meeting at all?
