McDowell: I won’t be at Reform group rally

Former tánaiste Michael McDowell has said he has “no association” with the Reform Alliance and will not attend their rally at the RDS later this month.

Mr McDowell, a founding member of the Progressive Democrats, said he would welcome the support of the breakaway Fine Gael TDs and senators for Democracy Matters, his campaign group for Seanad reform.

The organisation, made up mostly of academics and past and present politicians, announced new plans to push for reform of the Upper House, 100 days after voters decided in a referendum that it should not be abolished.

A policy document called If There is a Will, There is a Way, outlines six principles which would lead to reform, which the group believes have widespread political support and would not require a referendum.

It includes an entitlement for every Irish citizen to vote, including citizens in the North and the diaspora. It also includes a 50% gender quota for parties in Seanad elections, to ensure the House “leads the way for breaking the glass ceiling for women in politics”.

Mr McDowell said there is a huge desire for reform amongst TDs and senators “which is ready to be tapped into”. And he said the “great majority” of the Labour Party did not have Seanad abolition “in the heart” at all.

“We believe the great majority of TDs and senators have a different view to the one that was seen to emerge at official level,” he said.

He said Democracy Matters would welcome any member of the Oireachtas “into the tent” including the five-member Reform Alliance.

“We welcome support from wherever it came from and indeed a number of members of that group were active and did come out publicly in support of the position that we adopted during the referendum campaign,” he said.

But asked if both groups would be joining forces, he said: “I haven’t been associated loosely or any other way, with them, I want to make that clear.”

He said there had been speculation about his involvement with the Reform Alliance, but it was “totally wide of the mark”. “I know less about them than you do and never had any contact with them in relation to their activities,” he said at a press conference.

On the Reform Alliance’s Jan 25 gathering, he said: “I haven’t been invited and I won’t be there.”