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Seanad : babies and bathwater
As we leave 2011 one of the government promises which they announced as part of their election appears to be still on track. They do appear to be intent on getting rid of the upper house of the Irish...
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The fiscal compact: maybe inevitable, hardly sensible
This is an extended version of a column published in the Irish Examiner, Saturday 4 Feb 2012....
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Presentation to the Oireachtas Committee on Finance 15Feb2012
Below is a version of the written presentation I circulated to members of the Oireachtas Committee on Finance at our discussions today on ELA and Promissory Notes. ELA is money. It is not a bond....
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Default, Regulatory Capture and Banks
Last night in the (darkened, of course for the books and not very conducive to photography on the hoof) confines of the TCD Library Long Room Senator Sean Barrett launched “What if Ireland Defaults”,...
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What should we do with the Seanad?
So what to do with the Seanad? It now seems certain that there will be referendum on the (very complicated) proposal to reduce the parliament from two to one chambers. Leaving aside the practicalities...
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Why we should keep and abolish the Seanad ; Sean(s), Science and Senators
Sometimes a debate comes along in the upper house that is worth listening to. Usually, and this is I think, down to the (limited) franchise, this comes from the university senators. Last week Senator...
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Turkey Senators to vote for Christmas
Rarely do we see parliaments voting themselves out of existence. When this happens it is usually because the country has been invaded, or dismembered in some other way. In Ireland we saw of course that...
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A hidden danger to democracy- Article 27 and the Seanad Referendum
The Irish Seanad, the upper house of the Irish Parliament, last night voted to allow a referendum on its continued existence to be held. Its not exactly turkeys voting for christmas, more turkeys...
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Catherine Murphy, Article 27 and the Seanad.
One of the things that must most irk senators and dail members is the way that debates get guillotined. Catherine Murphy TD had proposed to table some amendments in the debate on the Seanad abolition...
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Im thinking of voting to retain the Seanad
Its strange to find oneself on the same side of a political argument as Fianna Fail. That’s now where I find myself with regard to the referendum to abolish the Seanad. As an exercise in sheer...
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The fiscal compact: maybe inevitable, hardly sensible
This is an extended version of a column published in the Irish Examiner, Saturday 4 Feb 2012....
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Running for the Seanad
So, I had been asked by some people to consider this, in the upcoming election. Run for the university seats, they suggested. These were people I respected, from non-party backgrounds. Some were active...
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Censoring the Seanad
In ancient Rome there was a political office called the Censor. His role was to act as a check on the membership of the Senate, to periodically oversee its membership and ensure that it was comprised...
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Enda’s Seanad 11
I have no doubt that a properly functioning and elected second house is a useful thing in a democracy. But one has to wonder about the mindset that treats the second house as a parachute. For non Irish...
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The Politics of a United Ireland
What would the politics of a united Ireland look like? Not that it looks likely any time soon but Brexit, when it actually happens, may well change the gameBrexit has probably made a UI more likely, if...
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