Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I wish to make a number of brief points, one of which was raised in the report. Since the 1937 Constitution, there have been ten reports on reform of the Seanad - I emphasise the word "reform" - but none has proposed abolition. In the last significant report, the committee under the former Leader, Mrs. Mary O'Rourke, was pleasantly surprised that, of the 49 oral submissions and 161 written submissions, "very few" proposed abolition. All proposed reform. I hope that civic society will take on this challenge.

When the arguments for and against the issue are being put before the people, as the referendum commission would be obliged to do if nobody else does it, the electorate on which this decision will rest should take account of the unprecedented majority enjoyed by Governments since the foundation of the State and the lack of any urgency in reforming the Dáil, which must come with any reform of this House, irrespective of whether the discussion concerns abolition. Reform is urgent, and reform of our political democracy and the manner in which we conduct our affairs in both Houses has come under increasing scrutiny, to the point where I believe the public is becoming apathetic to the political ethos. That is very dangerous in a democracy, which is a fragile flower that must be worked on.

Listening to the Pat Kenny radio show this morning dealing with another book about Hitler, it emerged that in 1933, the German people decided to cast the majority of their vote for two parties which wanted to abolish democracy, the communists and national socialists, or Nazis. This was partly because people had become disenchanted and disillusioned with the political establishment. The German people listened to mob orators, like Hitler, who promised he would sweep away the political system and its parties. The civilised German people, from the country of Goethe and other philosophers, voted for that megalomaniac. I am not trying to raise the temperature of the debate but it is important to keep in mind that if there is an abolition of this House, it will be gone and not return. Will there be a reform of the Dáil?

I am appealing to the wider civic society rather than Senators, former Senators and the very distinguished group of people which has come together for this report, to take interest in the issue. I hope those who are not Senators and who are not involved in the political system will take on this challenge when and if it arises and when the question is put before the people. I would particularly focus my request to all the professional bodies which go to the trouble of registering on all five vocational panels each year, such is the importance they attach to the representational nature of this House. If those people did not believe in the efficacy of this House or think it was worth it, they would not bother to register each year to ensure their professional organisation has the right to nominate a candidate for the Seanad elections.

I ask the dozens of professional bodies that when this battle is engaged - it will be a war to the death - they will be on the front line and in the trenches, ensuring that the experience they have had of dealing with the Seanad through the decades, and the manner in which their perspective has been articulated by a variety of Senators across all sides, will continue to be the case.