'One House' Seanad abolition campaign launches

A group of professionals, calling themselves concerned Irish citizens, have launched a campaign to scrap the Seanad.

The 'One House' campaign claims the Dáil is sufficient to run the country, and that the Seanad is undemocratic, elitist and unaccountable.

Included in the group are former Minister Alan Dukes, barrister Richard Humphreys and Chief Executive of the Labour Relations Commission, Kieran Mulvey.

"Seanad Éireann is the exact epitome of what you'd call in olden times - before the reform act of 1832 - as a 'rotten borough'," Mulvey said at the launch conference.

"[It's similar to] a situation by which only certain people, because they had property, had a vote.

"What we're saying is we're a Republic, one house is sufficient."