Yes, the one guaranteed conversation-killer in an Irish pub is “So what do you think about Seanad reform?” But unperturbed, our quote of the day is from the current Phoenix:
Parallel to this concern about Kenny’s basic conservatism as he waits for power to be simply handed to him, is a distinct coolness about the would be crusade to reform Irish political structures. There are several reasons for this, but a big, unifying reason is that just at a time when FG has a record number of councillors (the guys who actually vote for senators round the country), meaning that it is on the verge of electing a record number of senators, Kenny decides to abolish the Senate.
Not, of course, that this blog has any objection to reform of the Seanad, though as the political system goes it’s mostly harmless. De Valera once abolished the Senate, and it was a good day’s work. But Enda… you know, sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between a brilliant stroke and a dopey stunt… and sometimes it isn’t…
robert said,
March 27, 2010 at 11:21 pm
I don’t know about the senate but the House of Lords is invaluable both for prime ministerial patronage and as a way of kicking dead wood upstairs when they’ve served their use. On being questioned what life in the Lords was like after the Commons one former minister allegedly said it was like moving from the animals to the vegetables.
WorldbyStorm said,
March 27, 2010 at 11:37 pm
I’m willing to be that in ten years there’ll still be a Seanad… they love it really!