MOTIONS FOR and against the abolition of Seanad Éireann are down for debate at the Labour Party national conference which takes place in Galway this weekend.
Banking, the economy and job-creation also feature strongly on the agenda.
A branch in Louth has submitted a motion urging the party “to request the Government to immediately set in motion the requisite means to hold a constitutional referendum to abolish the Senate”.
The motion goes on to state that “the Senate is an expensive, unnecessary and undemocratically-elected body and should be abolished”. Other countries such as Denmark, Sweden and Croatia had abolished their second chamber and “no economic, democratic or any other loss has been experienced as a result”, says the motion from the Duleek Gate branch in Louth.
However, the Jim Kemmy-University College Cork branch stresses “the importance of a bicameral system of parliament in order to formally represent diverse constituencies and to provide greater scrutiny of proposed legislation”.
Instead of abolition, this motion seeks to mandate the party “to formulate a comprehensive strategy on Seanad reform so as to enable the Seanad to operate as an effective Upper House”.
Similar sentiments are expressed in a motion from the branch in Clondalkin, Co Dublin, which “recognises the constitutional importance of Seanad Éireann, its oversight function and the protection it offers the people from unwise legislation”.
However, the motion goes on to state that “the lack of any real reform since its establishment has led Seanad Éireann to the position of a waiting-room for potential general election candidates, which neuters their ability to truly represent the people”.
The motion adds that the parliamentary party should be mandated to introduce Seanad reform, but that a referendum should also be held to “ask for the guidance of the people of Ireland”.
Fine Gael is committed to holding a referendum on the abolition of Seanad Éireann, among other changes, within a year of taking political office, and decisions on the issue at the Labour conference could have an impact on any future coalition talks.
Among numerous motions on the financial crisis, there is a call from the Tom Mulligan/Kilmacanogue branch in Co Wicklow for “the Labour Party leadership, when in government, to bring the banks into public ownership”.
A motion from the party’s central council calls for “an agreement for national recovery”, including “a negotiated approach to public sector pay and reform, including the negotiation of appropriate pay restoration”.
A separate central council motion calls on the party “to campaign to have employment-creation as the central plank of its policy now and in preparation for government. All State and semi-State agencies to be mobilised to meeting job-creation and job-support targets as we tackle this national crisis.”
The Drumcondra/Glasnevin branch “calls on the Labour Party as part of its programme for government to promise to hold a referendum proposing to delete the word “blasphemous” from Article 4.1.6 of the Constitution and to repeal any legislation that made reference to blasphemy as a form of defamation”.
A similar motion from Dublin South Constituency Council calls on the party, “on entering government to repeal Section 36 of the Defamation Act 2009 dealing with the publication of blasphemous matter and at the earliest possible date to hold a referendum to amend the Constitution” to remove the reference to blasphemy.
The Fitzgerald Kearney branch in the Dublin South East constituency condemns the introduction of a new definition of blasphemy in the Defamation Act 2009 providing for fines of up to €25,000, and calls on the party executive to campaign for its repeal.