Loss of Seanad would leave State vulnerable

At the launch of his party’s referendum campaign, Enda Kenny stood with a copy of the Constitution in his hand and declared: “It is the constitutional responsibility of Dáil Eireann to hold the Government to account.”

I am amazed that Mr Kenny was able to keep a straight face in making this declaration.

We witnessed, during the passage of the recent abortion legislation, just how ruthless this Government can be in using the whip system to exert its control over the Dáil. To suggest that the Dáil can hold the Government to account, and ergo we do not need the Seanad, is simply absurd, and suggests a degree of desperation already in this campaign.