No campaign for Seanad abolishment launches

A campaign for a No vote in the referendum to scrap the Seanad is officially launching today.

The Democracy Matters group says the Seanad should be reformed, and that this can be achieved if it's saved.

Its legal advisor is Dr Brian Hunt, who previously served as a legal advisor to Fine Gael.

He says the public should consider the referendum as a choice between scrapping the Seanad or reforming it:

It may not be on the ballot paper, but reform is a real option, and if people vote no in sufficient numbers, we can leave this government with no choice but to reform the Seanad and give the people the right to vote in the first Seanad general election in 2016.