Ned O'Sullivan (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Let us for one moment step back from this matter. We have had a hard, bruising bout. We were under fierce attack for the past six months and terrible things were said about this institution and us. I am not prepared to rush headlong into any specific talks on the reform of this House on its own. I do not believe anybody who thinks seriously about the matter would want to do so either. Let us pause to reflect. The Taoiseach, Deputy Enda Kenny, for whom I have great time in other circumstances, must realise he has made a very serious mistake. He was gracious. Somebody said he was very gracious in defeat. I would say he was gracious like Sonny Liston was after Muhammad Ali knocked him out in the first minute - as gracious as that, he could be.

If there is to be an overall reappraisal of how politics works in this country, let it start with the primary House, the Lower House, and proceed to the presidency in general - I am not talking about the present incumbent. Let the Seanad be part of the process. We have other fish to fry. There is a budget to come and people are out of work. There is a lot going on and people are still in negative equity or have mortgage problems. That is the real world.

We have had a fair bashing of the Seanad. It is time to leave us alone for a while.