John Crown (Independent)

It is thoroughly unedifying. If one could have tried to design a better advertisement for the campaign to abolish the Seanad, one could have done rather little worse than just filming one hour of what went on here last week.

Will Members please acknowledge that the core of a democracy is the structure of its parliament and the way it is elected? We must insist on a debate with the Taoiseach on the Seanad's future which will prepare the public for its deliberations on it rather than another rushed referendum. The Government must explain its intentions with respect to one half of the Parliament of our real Republic and the timing of a referendum on it.