Colonising the museum - Share chamber

IT seems bizarre and depressingly symbolic that a wing of our National Museum might be closed and its education programmes curtailed while the section of Leinster House usually used by the Seanad is renovated.

This suggests an imagined hierarchy that is at least questionable if not arrogant. The proposal is also indicative of unimaginative problem solving.

The Seanad, beloved as it may be by its members, is hardly one of the high-octane forces driving this society towards a better, sun-soaked future.

Surely it is not beyond the wit of our politicians and Leinster House managers to devise a rota that would allow both houses of the Oireachtas to use the Dáil chamber on a temporary basis?

That practical accommodation would have many benefits. It would ensure the Seanad renovations are carried out quickly, protect the museum from open-ended colonisation, save money and possibly curb the affection some senators have, and crave, for the sound of their own voice.

Maybe the suggestion should be considered — renovations or not.