Madam, – The squealing in the Seanad, following Enda Kenny’s abolition proposal, should come as no surprise. It is, indisputably, the best club in town. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – The announcement in recent days by Enda Kenny that he would seek, if elected, to abolish the Senate is nothing short of the cheapest form of populism, and at a time when we need to build public confidence in our civic and political institutions. We now face the huge challenge of social and economic renewal following a period of unprecedented economic growth, abruptly ended by the single greatest economic and financial crash in living memory. This rebuilding is made all the more difficult against the background of a growing crisis of public confidence in what were once revered institutions like the church, banking and politics.
As citizens, our political institutions should reflect the way and the means by which we choose to be governed. We need to strengthen and encourage serious people into our democratically elected chambers.
Public office and the exercise of authority on behalf of one’s fellow citizens should always be seen as a noble calling and should attract as much diverse opinion as can be accommodated based on a mandate.
I do not see merit in Mr Kenny’s idea to take what many see as an exclusive and removed parliamentary system and shrink it to an even smaller club where fewer voices will be heard at a time when we need real and wide-ranging discourse about the future of our country.
Our challenge over the coming years will be to establish a real civic spirit among our people.
This spirit should be one of respect for the office and the office holders who, both in bad times and good, can marshal and command the respect of all of the people in tackling the future problems that will confront us as a country.
It’s easy to say what we will discard during times like this. However, I think it is equally important to say what we intend to renew and rebuild as a means of restoring that which makes us proud to be citizens of our Republic. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Could Ivana Bacik’s objection to the abolition of the Seanad have anything to do with the fact that she has failed twice to get elected in democratic elections: once to the Dáil and once to Europe? – Yours, etc,
Madam, – Fiona O’Malley’s suggestion (Opinion, October 20th) that our Constitution should be reformed is to be welcomed. The question is, who should be responsible for reforming it?
Certainly not the existing political parties, which would only ensure that their privileges and those of their wealthy backers be maintained. Instead, this task should be entrusted to a new constitutional assembly, which, rather than being dominated by the political parties, would exclude them.
This constitutional assembly should be made up of representatives from the different sectors of Irish civil society – women’s groups, business groups, teachers, doctors, lesbians and gays, young people, transport workers, construction workers, bankers, and so on.
Politicians would be just one more group amongst many entitled to equal representation. Only in this manner could we be sure that a Constitution reflecting the needs of the people of this country, rather than its politicians, would be drafted.
Perhaps this could be a role for a new, revamped Seanad? – Yours etc,