Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

The Taoiseach should make it clear for the record of the House. Is it not the case that the Taoiseach is trying to predetermine the agenda of the constitutional convention and steer it away from any of the serious and substantial issues about political reform that need to be discussed by deciding in advance what issues it will discuss and what shall be at the top of the agenda, rather than allowing the members of the convention decide the agenda? I asked the Taoiseach to reduce the number of politicians involved. Why should one third of the membership be dominated by political parties which will have an advantage over just random individuals who are selected, in that they will be organised and subject to political whips? This will allow them to manipulate the debate if they wish in their particular favour. They should be given the same footing at the convention as every other individual who is present. On the question of social class being adequately represented, the fact that the members of the public are being selected from the electoral register will disadvantage people from less well-off and poorer areas because they are disproportionately badly represented on the electoral register. The electoral register is not the best basis from which to select the public members of the convention.

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