Joe O'Toole (Independent)

It is undemocratic because if 900 people in Albania were entitled to elect three quarters of the Members of a House of Parliament there, we would condemn such behaviour as totalitarianism – whether it arose under a dictatorship or a communist regime – and we would be right to do so.

If the Senator believes my comments are focused in any way on local authority members he is wrong. Others will inform him that I defend them all the time and I am of the opinion that they do excellent work. I am utterly supportive of local authority members. I believe they are treated badly, are not afforded enough respect and are not given enough authority or adequate budgets.