Looking for Solutions in Alderaan Places |hopscotchfriday

Looking for Solutions in Alderaan Places

On 4 October, Ireland goes to the polls. Yet another referendum - Ireland has lots, any time they want to change something that's mandated by the Constitution, it takes a referendum, and if they don't get the right result the first time, they go back - this time to consider the abolition of the Seanad (that's the Senate to you and me).

I'm not Irish and I cannot vote - neither can my Irish husband, much to his disdain as although still a citizen not being a resident apparently means his opinion is no longer valid - but I can't help but wonder whether the abolition of the Senate is a good idea (and the Stormtrooper below appears to agree with me). The role performed by an upper house in the parliament is one of checks and balances on the Executive government. Having one party in power and only one house through which any legislation must pass strikes me as potentially dangerous, especially with a majority government. At the very least a functional Senate should bring some degree of compromise and a need to negotiate before any new laws are made, making those in the lower house work for the people whom they allegedly represent.

I don't disagree that there isn't room for improvement, in the Irish political system there most certainly is. Possibly opening up the Seanad to some form of democratic election would assist in ensuring the perception is not that those in the upper house are there by some divine right, or as a hangover of privileged class, rather representative of the best interests of the Irish people.

The argument in favour seems to be one of cost, and with this referendum called just prior to the release of the next Budget, one wonders how much the government had been hoping to boost the numbers through the Seanad's abolition. Decisions as important as this should not be based on cost alone, but considerate of the other side of the ledger, what benefit has the Seanad brought the Irish people? Nothing is free, and Ireland, which has suffered greatly at the hands of the greedy in recent years, should know. However, what you might not know is that since 2011, the Seanad has made 529 amendments and tabled 14 Bills, most of which have been pursued with little to no fanfare but with some degree of effectiveness.

If you don't know what the Seanad has done for Ireland then now is the opportunity to investigate before you vote on 4 October. That is, of course if you choose to do so.