Jimmy Harte (Labour) | Oireachtas source

I and many Members here are on the record as saying so. Those who propose to abolish it are doing so for their own reasons. That will be decided by the public, not by 60 Senators in here. We all have a role to play between now and referendum day.

One should not be afraid of the public. One should let the electorate decide. If the electorate gives its endorsement to the Seanad, when we come back in October or November we can say we are a part of democracy that the people maintained, but if they vote to abolish the Seanad, that is also democracy.