ABOLISH the Seanad and shut down the best chance we have of making politics truly representative. A reformed Seanad could offer a door to public office for the dark side of the moon of Irish life: the people who don’t have jobs.

I’M trying to work but suddenly my head is on the keyboard.

WE were all new to this country once. My people sailed into Cobh and built their churches on the hills of Cork. There weren’t too many Congregationalists round the city in the early years of the last century, but my grandfather integrated quickly.

Why would anyone choose a poorly resourced, poorly supported home birth in Ireland when modern, fully-staffed hospitals are now available to everyone? Here’s why: in Irish hospitals labouring women are treated with something close to disdain.

We're all on the same page here. There are people who are OK and people who are not OK.

WHO created the fee-charging schools? The State, not parents speeding up to the school gates in red Ferraris and not Protestants in wide-brimmed, black hats.

BRING back the marriage bar! Hah — that got you reading! OK, I’m not arguing for women to be turfed out of jobs if they getmarried. As we all know, that was what happened to married women in civil service, teaching and banking jobs in Ireland from the 1930s until 1958 for teachers, and 1973 for the rest.

HE has €2 zipped into his pocket, enough for the fanciest ice-cream in the local shop. He takes his bike from against the wall and off he goes.

I DON’T really care whether Micheál Martin or Michael McGrath leads Fianna Fáil — but I do care why.

THESE are the terrible words of a Bethany Home survivor to fellow survivor Derek Leinster, who has for many years led the campaign for redress.