Seanad referendum - Reform to protect our democracy

The Government has decided to hold three referendums before Christmas.

Two focus on housekeeping — reform of patent laws and changes to the courts system. The third element will deliver on an election promise to offer the electorate an opportunity to support or abolish the Seanad.

The upper house, in its present form, does not deserve the support such a pivotal institution in our democracy demands. It has reached this sorry point by ignoring report after report on how it might be made relevant. By resisting the changes that would have made it more valued in our democracy it may have signed its own death warrant. Its abolition, however, would seem reckless, especially as it would be impossible to re-establish a second tier, a system of checks and balances, in our system if we dispose of the one we have today.