David Norris (Independent) | Oireachtas source

First, I wish to dispose of one thing. No Bill concerned with electoral reform of Seanad Éireann has passed this House. There have been discussions and proposals, but absolutely nothing has been done about it. The Taoiseach's proposals for including every institute of technology and all the rest of it would have the effect of leaving the Taoiseach with one vote, to nominate without an election 11 Members of the House. Then there are 43 elected by about 1,000 local representatives and Members of the Oireachtas. That means one vote for 11 people, 1,000 votes for the next 43 and 850,000 for the universities. The Taoiseach's proposal would magnify the existing disparity and I do not approve of it. By the time this comes in, if it ever does, the latter figure will be 1 million. That would open up the university seats to the political parties to penetrate them and take them over. It would mean the end of the Independent vote in Seanad Éireann.

The Bill goes a small way towards rectifying an idiotic situation. I pointed out on the Order of Business that we had somebody elected to a national Parliament through an electorate of 200 voters. That far exceeds anything that happened in rotten boroughs in the 18th century in a completely corrupt situation. I repeat that there were 200 votes in an electorate for a seat in a national Parliament. It is a scandal.

What about the other provisions? I remember when Mr. McNulty was catapulted, from a petrol station or whatever it was up in Donegal, on to the board of the Irish Museum of Modern Art. I doubt if the most recent person elected had a connection with a huckster's sweet shop. She was elected on the Industrial and Commercial Panel, and everybody thinks it was a wonderful idea. I am a dissenting voice in that when I say I do not. If there are provisions for people to be elected on panels, they should at least have some even vague relationship to the panel on which they are elected.

What is needed - it is not very complex - is scrutiny of the existing nominating bodies, which are now antique. Some of them are still central to Irish life and still fulfil the function, but we need a review of them to ensure they are brought in line with the conditions in the early part of the 21st century. Crucially they need to enfranchise the ordinary members of the nominating bodies. That would bring real people. I am not suggesting that my colleagues are not real. Considering the utter corruption of the process by which they are elected, it is astonishing that we get some very good people.

I would not turn my back entirely on political representation. I have been a Member of Seanad Éireann for nearly 30 years and I have seen the valuable contribution made by people, who, for example, had experience of Dáil Éireann - sometimes former Cabinet Ministers - coming in here. That is valuable political expertise and I would be reluctant to lose it completely. There should be a mixture.

The Bill extends the franchise for by-elections to local authority members, but they are also politically directed. They are mostly members of political parties and they will do what they are told. I have had direct personal experience of this. They do what they are told by head office. Head office marks their card for them by advising the person for whom they should vote, and off they go and vote accordingly.

I see my good friend, the Leader of the House, Senator Cummins, shaking his head. I had experience of this in the presidential election when-----