Rónán Mullen (Independent)

We could do with some nuanced thinking about the whole question of spoiling one's vote. To be clear, if one can make a clear choice between candidates and express a clear preference, it is entirely reasonable to express that. If on the other hand you are unhappy that you have been left with a bad choice and if your feeling of indignation is so strong that you choose, American style, to write in the name of somebody you would like to see on the ballot paper, that is a reasonable thing to do, too. The voter is sovereign. The only thing I would ever discourage is resorting to obscenity or otherwise. We must respect the voter and what he or she decides to do. Some will decide to vote because they have a clear preference. Some are annoyed, perhaps justly, about the way that the parties, in particular, have acted, even in the nomination of their own candidates. They may choose to express that. If we are democrats, we will respect that and will not try to denigrate other people's choices in that matter.

I commend Senator Nelson Murray on what she said about blood donation. I am a recent addition to the pool of people who donate blood because a loved one needed blood transfusions and found herself no longer in a position to donate blood herself as a result. That was a reminder to me to start doing what I should have started to do long ago. We can and should use our positions and contacts to encourage people who are in a position to do so to give blood. It reminds me of a strange event that occurred once upon a time when a priest, an imam and a rabbit went in to donate blood. The rabbit commented, "I think I must be a typo."