Alice-Mary Higgins (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I join in congratulating everybody who has been elected and re-elected. Specifically, I congratulate the Cathaoirleach. He understands very well, of course, that the mandate as Cathaoirleach is not a mandate from Government but a mandate from the House and from all across the Seanad. In his previous term as Cathaoirleach, he showed that he understood very well that responsibility to the Seanad and recognised the crucial role the Seanad plays as a check and balance within our political system. It is not the property of the Executive but represents parliamentary power, parliamentary scrutiny and those responsibilities. I am very glad to have somebody who has that depth of care for scrutiny and for ensuring we look to our role as legislators and someone who is not complacent about democracy. The checks and balances we have are crucial in terms of democracy and law, both here and internationally.It is a time when the seriousness with which we take our political role and our role in terms of the law, internationally and nationally, will be a crucial test. It is absolutely the case that we are the guardians in ensuring the continuation of those powers and capacities.

I congratulate the Cathaoirleach. I look forward to his many schemes and initiatives. He had dozens of them in his previous half-term in office, so I do not know what he will do with a full term. I am sure we will all get many very interesting calls about many ideas. It is really important that we, and even the Leader of the House, carry through the respect for democracy so we do not have, for example, small cuts away at democracy like the guillotining of Bills, the shortening of debates or the kind of winner-takes-all approach we sometimes see in politics, to its detriment. Instead, we must really give space and respect to the Seanad in this new term. Again, I congratulate the Cathaoirleach. I look forward very much to working with him and all the Members in the term ahead.