John Dolan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

-----when little or nothing is happening. As a nominating body, we had a process in 2007 and 2011. We had a different process in 2016. When candidates telephoned us, we said we had a process and criteria. We had a committee and we nominated someone in 2007 and 2011. We had a different process the last time which was based on the nominating bodies working collectively, and not individually, and pooling their resources. There are ways to deal with these things. There are groups and organisations which have a real interest in what the Seanad is about.

We have 60 Members of the Seanad coming through three different groups. There are the vocational panels, which I will not name. We have the 11 Taoiseach's nominees and a six from the universities. Is it not strange that two of them are named by where they come from and not what they are about? I refer to the point, which I believe Senator McDowell made earlier, or which was in the report, that there is room for debates and statements around the activities of the nominating bodies. Some 43 Senators, or two thirds of the Seanad, are elected through vocational panels. We now accept that since 1938 there has not been one discussion here based around the objectives of a vocational panel. Does that not say something about how this entity has been almost warped since the day it began?

Supposing Mr. Trump said he wanted to abolish one of the Houses in the US. We would all be agog.