Paul Bradford (Independent) | Oireachtas source

It would be deeply hypocritical not only on the part of the candidate but also on the part of the political party standing the candidate. There are very many elected members of the Fine Gael Party who are deeply opposed to the party's position on the abolition of the Seanad. There were many Fine Gael public representatives, particularly councillors, who not only opposed the referendum but certainly voted against abolition. I hope the successor to Ms Deirdre Clune will be from the ranks of people who supported the Seanad last year.

It would just add to the public's already deeply cynical view of politics if somebody who said the Seanad should be abolished sought election to it. I know from my knowledge of the Fine Gael organisation and Fine Gael local authority members across the country that a majority of the latter were opposed to the abolition of the Seanad. I hope it is from the ranks of those people who supported the Seanad that our new Senator colleague will emerge. The successful candidate will enter a Seanad system that is still operating under the old electoral process and old view of what the Seanad is or should be. I hope the main substantive debate on the Seanad over the next 18 months will not be about by-elections or a by-election-facilitating Bill but about the reform of the House.

Just as all of us in politics have a shelf life, the Minister will have a shelf life in the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government. He may transfer to other positions - I had better not say better positions. His time in the Seanad was brief and he moved on to European politics. In the European Parliament, he met colleagues whose parliamentary systems had two houses equivalent to the Dáil and Seanad. He met people who believed parliaments should be debating fora rather than dictatorial fora. He will have met Members of the European Parliament who did not simply chant party lines but thought and voted in a very independent fashion. I hope the Minister's experience in this regard will lead him to believe we could have a much better Seanad and that the starting position will have to be based on an electoral system in which every citizen is respected and has an entitlement to vote. I hope that will be his Seanad project between now and the next election.

I wish the Minister well with his endeavours. I appreciate what the main Opposition party, Fianna Fáil, has said on this particular proposal. If that is the Fianna Fáil view, this Bill will certainly be passed. I hope the Seanad seat vacated by our friend and colleague Deirdre Clune will be occupied by somebody who at least supports the Seanad, not by somebody who opposed it and its existence.