Rebels attack FG and call for Seanad to be retained

Former Fine Gael junior minister Lucinda Creighton lobbed another political hand grenade in the direction of Taoiseach Enda Kenny after declaring that members of the Reform Alliance will again oppose Fine Gael policy and support the retention of the Seanad.

Ms Creighton attacked Fine Gael’s campaign to abolish the Seanad, claiming there had been virtually no debate.

Ms Creighton said: “We’ve only heard about slogans, cheap slogans if you ask me, about €20m savings and getting rid of politicians.”

She warned that people “need to think about having less public representatives and more centralised power in fewer individuals”.

Ms Creighton recently initiated the Reform Alliance with six other rebels TDs and senators after they all voted against the abortion bill.

She said Ireland needs a counterbalance to the Dáil, and the Seanad had the opportunity “to look at the bigger picture”.

The Reform Alliance had previously said it would not take a view on the Seanad referendum.

The rebels’ decision to call for a no vote will be welcomed by Fianna Fáil, which had been the only party in the Dáil campaigning against the referendum.

One Fianna Fáil member said “it’s nice not to be the only party ploughing this particular furrow”.

However, another Fine Gael rebel, Brian Walsh, who refused to join the Alliance, last night attacked the group, saying its position on the referendum “smacks of a desire to undermine the Taoiseach and the Government”. He said: “They attached great importance to pre-election commitments in the recent debate on the abortion legislation, and it is cynical and inconsistent to adopt an alternative position now in the context of the Seanad referendum. “This à la carte approach to pre-election commitments is a reason why there is such cynicism and disconnect between politicians and the public at present.”

Meanwhile, the Democracy Matters group yesterday launched its document on the vote, ‘Say No to the Powergrab’.

It said the Taoiseach needs to engage with the public, through either a debate or a one-on-one interview.

“The Taoiseach, who was the prime mover behind this referendum… has contemptuously refused to debate with opponents,” said Noel Whelan adding that Fine Gael had only delivered “crude, simplistic, and inaccurate messages”. He said going on television was an the Taoiseach to counter public apathy and raise the profile of the debate. Accompanied by Senator Feargal Quinn, Senator Katherine Zappone and former justice minister Michael McDowell, Noel Mr Whelan said the Fine Gael “lie” that abolition would save €20m showed its campaign was at a stage where it would say anything to avoid direct challenge.

Last night, RTÉ said it still hadn’t received any official correspondence from the Taoiseach in relation to its invitation to appear in a live Prime Time debate with the Fianna Fáil leader Michael Martin. Mr Martin has already accepted the invitation.