Let people decide who sits in a reformed Seanad

VOLATILE political opinion polls mirror an electorate greatly traumatised and threatened by unprecedented economic instability and horrified by the subversive leadership of the banks that aggravated the severity of this downturn in Ireland.

Many decisions of unprecedented importance are pending on the road to recovery and there has never been as great a need for really high-calibre politicians as there is now. Each of the political parties in Leinster House has among its ranks some truly committed, excellent and talented members but there are also far too many in each of the parties whose capacity to inspire is non-existent.

The poltical system will only attract high-calibre candidates if they have the chance of being able to make a real, sustainable impact in a radically reformed legislature.

The starting point for radical reform is Seanad Éireann.

There have been 12 official reports addressing the issue of Seanad reform from 1928 to 2002, but we still have a grossly dysfunctional institution that has become an asylum for former TDs and a crucible for prospective deputies.

The process of electing senators by county councillors and serving deputies, based on a nomination from a vocational panel, is redundant. It may have had some relevance when the nation was an adolescent, its institutions immature and when the worldwide capacity instantly to communicate was very costly or non-existent.

Vocational issues in Ireland have found an effective voice through the partnership process of the past 22 years. The electorate has no empathy with senators because they did not elect them.

I would guess that less than 1% of the electorate could name 10 of the 60 members of the Seanad. It is also an impertinence for political parties to list their Seanad members as a component of a Dáil electoral constituency, on the basis of their residence, unless and until they have been chosen to contest a prospective Dáil election.

The practice of the Taoiseach nominating 11 members is another perversion, especially in circumstances where he is not directly elected by all citizens.

A reformed Seanad should be directly elected by the citizens. Its membership should be limited to 52 — two from each of the 26 counties.

It should have the capacity to initiate legislation and approve certain State appointments. The Oireachtas committee system could be the venue to eliminate inconsistencies in the legislative proposals of both Houses, should these arise. The cathaoirleach of the Seanad should have the same status and salary as the ceann comhairle of the Dáil.

Closer linkages could be fostered with local authorities if the Seanad candidate who secured the greatest number of votes in a county was also mandated by that election to become chairman of the largest local authority in that county for the lifetime of the Seanad.

An exception could be made in the case of Dublin City Council which is to have a directly elected executive mayor by 2011.

A wider talent pool, mandated by the electorate, would also be available from which to choose cabinet ministers and ministers of state (whose overall numbers clearly needs to be reduced from the present 20 and aligned to credible political functions).

The consequence of these initiatives should be a legislature that has an abundance of talent; a legislature which is more effective and more efficient and an electorate somewhat more reassured that the nation is on the road to recovery and not the road to perdition.

Myles Duffy

Bellevue Ave

Glenageary

Co Dublin