Mary White (Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We are in the final hours of a process which is intended to lead to the abolition of this House of the Oireachtas which has operated for 74 years in accordance with the Constitution. It is a shameful process conceived in a moment of expediency. I am reminded of another shameful process 213 years ago when the Irish Parliament of the day voted itself out of existence to facilitate the Act of Union. As a result, in the words of Professor Elaine Byrne, "Ireland was robbed of legislative independence for 120 years."

In this case, by removing the second legislative Chamber, the intention of the Government is that its already powerful position in the Oireachtas in ramming legislation through is made even stronger.

There are also Members of this House appointed by the Taoiseach who I would have expected to exercise their Independent mandate but who have so far backed this Bill. They no longer can call themselves Independent yet they can help this House demonstrate its independent role, and their own personal independence, by voting against the Bill before we conclude. I will refer to their role later.

At least one difference from the events preceding the Act of Union is that the people in Ireland will have the last say in the planned referendum if this House proceeds to endorse this expedient Bill. If we can have an open debate in the public arena on the choice before the electorate in a referendum, the result may not be the done deal the Government believes it will be.

Regarding abolition or reform, I will not repeat or rehearse the main arguments put forward against the Bill to date but the failure to offer a choice to the people to opt for a reformed second Chamber is reflective of an arrogant determination by the Government in pursuit of its expedient objective of not having to deal with a second House of the Oireachtas.

The most stunning failure to achieve a partial reform of the Seanad has been the failure to reform the electorate for election to the six university places as decided by the people in a referendum in 1979. I see the university Senators are not present.