Results 1,861-1,880 of 24,326 for speaker:Jerry Buttimer

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (18 Feb 2009)

Jerry Buttimer: It is relevant to the section. If a Minister has 12 officials working for him or her, and Deputies and Senators have nobody, it is very hard to compete.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (18 Feb 2009)

Jerry Buttimer: I am on section 4. I am curious with regard to Senator Ellis's remarks on legality and constitutionality and I look forward to the Minister of State's response. We have missed an opportunity to create new boundaries in the city and county of Cork, which would have been exciting and innovative and would have moved away from the old Cork South-Central and Cork North-Central division. It is...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (18 Feb 2009)

Jerry Buttimer: I am disappointed the commission did not get the job of overseeing elections. That matter should be transferred out of the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government into a specific election department. I do not say that against any official. It is time that we had an independent electoral commission dealing exclusively and solely with elections. I agree with Senators...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (18 Feb 2009)

Jerry Buttimer: ——where there is an equitable distribution of votes across the board. That might lead to all sorts of mathematical permutations and it might mean the Clerk of the Seanad would go on tour throughout the country to educate all the returning officers. There are anomalies in the system. We have seen them and they are undemocratic. The other matter with which I am disappointed is one which...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (18 Feb 2009)

Jerry Buttimer: The commission should have been given the power to tell the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government get rid of the electronic voting machines and consign them to history. I do not say that as a political point. I love the cut and thrust of the count. I have been beaten and I have been director of elections on count day. I remember ringing a great friend of mine, former...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (18 Feb 2009)

Jerry Buttimer: One does.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (18 Feb 2009)

Jerry Buttimer: Exactly. The electronic voting machine is like Murphy's law. It is like going in to Dunnes Stores and getting a receipt. It is cold, uninviting, non-participatory and, dare I say it, takes away from the cut and thrust of the old blood battle. I say that unashamedly. One cannot beat being in Neptune Stadium or City Hall on the day of a count and we are all there in all our emotions, in...

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (18 Feb 2009)

Jerry Buttimer: I want to raise a point of order.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (18 Feb 2009)

Jerry Buttimer: This is an important debate and I have not finished what I wanted to say.

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (18 Feb 2009)

Jerry Buttimer: On a point of order, what is the rush?

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (18 Feb 2009)

Jerry Buttimer: What is the rush? On a point of information——

Seanad: Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2008: Committee Stage (Resumed) and Remaining Stages (18 Feb 2009)

Jerry Buttimer: Wait until Fianna Fáil councillors hear about this.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Feb 2009)

Jerry Buttimer: Go on.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Feb 2009)

Jerry Buttimer: Well said.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Feb 2009)

Jerry Buttimer: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Feb 2009)

Jerry Buttimer: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Feb 2009)

Jerry Buttimer: The golden circle.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Feb 2009)

Jerry Buttimer: Would Senator MacSharry mind sharing this urgent information with the House?

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Feb 2009)

Jerry Buttimer: Hear, hear.

Seanad: Order of Business (19 Feb 2009)

Jerry Buttimer: Well said.