Brian Ó Domhnaill (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

On his way into the Burlington Hotel that night the current Taoiseach licked his finger to see which way the wind was blowing. Rather than doing what he had promised to do a few months earlier, he decided to do the popular thing in line with how the wind was blowing that night. Much to the shock of his own parliamentary party - his own Senators were certainly shocked - he announced that Fine Gael would abolish the Seanad if it were in government. A few months previously he had spoken about the need to reform the Seanad to make it work better for the people, but in the Burlington Hotel he instead announced the proposed abolition of the democratic institution of Seanad Éireann.

We all recognise that this House has its flaws. Gandhi once said, "The spirit of democracy is not a mechanical thing to be adjusted by abolition of forms [but] requires change of heart." Clearly, the Taoiseach has not had a change of heart since 2009, when he decided that the abolition of democracy was the answer. He is giving the people an opportunity to vote on the issue in a referendum, which is due to take place some time in October. I appeal to the Fine Gael and Labour Party Senators who are saying they will vote for the Bill but will oppose the proposal in the referendum to stand up and be counted and say they are not prepared to support this legislation unless the people are given an opportunity to vote for the reform of this institution. The people should be given a proper choice between abolishing the Seanad, reforming it or keeping it as it is. Having spoken to many people about this matter, I believe the people would vote for reform. We live in a very dangerous Ireland because we have a Government that is controlled by four or five people. Influences from outside the Government are dictating, through the lobbies in Leinster House - in the Dáil or in the Seanad - what way to vote on certain issues.

The pressure on members of the Fine Gael Parliamentary Party in respect of a Bill going through the Dáil, the abortion legislation, is all over the newspapers today. To stifle democracy in that manner, whereby evidence from the medical and legal professions is left to one side and three or four Labour Party, or old Democratic Left, Ministers dictate what my conscience should be-----