Kenny’s comment - Insult to the electorate

Taoiseach Enda Kenny refused to debate Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin on the issue of abolishing the Seanad because, he said, he did not wish to “embarrass” him. Maybe this flippant comment was meant as a joke, but, if it was, it was a very ill-judged joke.

Instead of embarrassing Mr Martin, the Taoiseach embarrassed himself by demeaning his office. His flippant response was much more than an insult to the Fianna Fáil leader; it was an insult to the whole electorate.

In the process, Mr Kenny embarrassed his party, and he did little to enhance its campaign to scrap the Seanad. Insulting the electorate is not the way to win the public support.

The abolition of the Seanad is a fundamental constitutional initiative and should be treated as such, with a serious debate about the issues involved. The whole thing should certainly not be passed off as if it were some kind of joke.

Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams has taken up the challenge to debate the issue. Maybe Mr Martin was being flippant, too, when he suggested the Taoiseach was allowing Mr Adams to be his mouthpiece.

The one likely loser in a Martin-Adams debate will be Enda Kenny.