Brian Hayes (Dublin South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We have been up and down and around the houses debating this issue for several weeks. The most honest contributions were made by Senators Mac Conghail and Hayden who stated openly they will vote "No" but allow the Bill to pass in order that people are given their say. That is the nub of the issue. The Government is seeking the support of the House to ask the people of this great constitutional Republic to finally determine its view on this issue. After all of the reports and having excluded citizens from the Seanad for 75 years, we want to allow them to come to a view on the issue.

The reason we chose this route as opposed to asking the Constitutional Convention to examine the possibility of abolishing the Seanad was that we gave a commitment in the course of the previous general election. This commitment was joined by Sinn Féin and the Fianna Fáil Party, both of which stated they would hold a referendum if they were in government. That is the reason we did not ask the Constitutional Convention to examine the matter. We are holding good on a commitment we gave to the Irish people during the election campaign of 2011.

I reassure the House that, contrary to the views expressed by some Senators, this is not a power grab by either the Taoiseach, a select group of Ministers, the Government or anyone else. These are not the last days of the Weimar Republic, as some would have us believe. I heard outrageous claims being made about the Taoiseach, for example, when he was painted in some pitiful contributions as being somewhere between Robert Mugabe and Mussolini. The Taoiseach is holding good on a commitment he made, which was subsequently included in the programme of Government. This is a difficult decision for any Taoiseach to make because he must effectively tell 20% of his parliamentary party that he proposes to radically reduce the number of politicians in Leinster House. He has shown enormous courage in holding good on the commitment he gave the Irish people. It would have been easier for him to go down the reform route, ask the Constitutional Convention to examine the issue or find some weasel words to allow him to abandon his commitment. Instead, he chose to honour it and in doing so, he has shown authority in circumstances where the country has gone through the mire and the political establishment, including me, the Senators present and the Deputies elected to the other House, must radically change the way in which we present politics. In stating they believe it is possible to function with one House of Parliament, the Taoiseach and Government are making a public statement. This is the proposition that will feature in the referendum campaign. I agree with colleagues that the sooner the campaign commences, the better. It will be for the people to decide whether they want a unicameral or bicameral Parliament. To present this proposal as some form of power grab or the decision of a dictatorial cabal consisting of the four Ministers who make up the economic management council is childish nonsense.

This is a radical move for which the Government does not make any apologies. Politics must radically change if we are to ensure the crisis that befell this country does not happen again.

We think we can do that with one parliament, but that requires radical change. We do not suggest the abolition of Seanad Éireann alone will be the catalyst for that change. There is a host of things we need to do. To be honest, the winning of this campaign by the Government which is committed to holding this referendum will prove to the people that we can reform Dáil Éireann and that it can be the place where the required radical change and shake-up of politics takes place. That will be the campaign.

I respect utterly the fact that colleagues in my party will vote "No" in the campaign. I suspect the majority of Senators in front of me will vote "No". Equally, I respect those colleagues who are backing the Bill and allowing the people to come to a view. I respect the fact that they are willing to put this issue before them. We should not forget the fact that under the Constitution, it is the people who are sovereign. It will not be some group of parliamentarians whose career plans may be upset but the people who will decide this issue. They are sovereign and they will change the Constitution or choose not to amend it. I will live or die by that decision.

What the Government is doing in holding the referendum is asking the people to decide. It is asking the one group whose view on this issue has been singularly ignored in the past 75 years. It is not asking some elite or group that has been given a vote because it happens to have a university education, nor is it asking some group of politicians. No, it is the people who will be asked for their view on this issue and the Government will accept that view.

Senator Diarmuid Wilson made a charge that I am obliged to rebut. He is a man of good standing, but he suggested some inducement or bribe had been offered to Members of this House to vote a certain way.