I request the Order of Business be changed to provide for a sos between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. It is inhumane to expect people to continue straight through from early afternoon until 10 o'clock at night.

Hear, hear. The three or four of us who were here.

I ask the Leader to consider that proposal and to be gracious enough to accept it. He is silent for the first time.

I will reply to it when I am replying to the Order of Business.

If the Leader does not accept it, the Senator can always take a certain course of action when the Order of Business is being agreed to.

It is a formal request to change the Order of Business.

The Senator should launch a campaign for the Presidency.

My colleague, Senator Bacik, welcomed the announcement by the President of his intentions. It is deeply regrettable that he has gone back on his word and decided to seek a second term. However, he can explain that to the electorate over the period of the election. I am deeply disappointed at some of the political elites in this House who have decided to close off the nomination process-----

Hear, hear.

-----for those who would seek to run for the highest office in the land. We must look within and ask ourselves where our democratic souls are. It is rather disgusting that we, as political elites, seek to close off an election process but such is life.

Absolutely.

Despite the regret I feel today, we will move on and upwards. I ask those in Leinster House who still have a democratic soul to think of nominations and to ensure that we have a competition for this office as we move forward.