Rethinking the Seanad byelection process

Sir, – If media speculation is to be believed, the Seanad byelection to fill the seat held by Sinn Féin’s Niall Ó Donnghaile up to January this year will handily be won by a Green Party candidate. This, of course, follows the Green Party’s acquiescence to Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael on two seats up for grabs at Seanad byelections in 2021, the spoils of coalition government it seems. If an agreement has been reached between Leo Varadkar, Micheál Martin and Eamon Ryan that their TDs and senators will vote for a Green Party candidate now, perhaps the predictions of the media of a foregone conclusion are fair.

However, up to and during the High Court hearing of Heneghan v Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government in March 2021, the current Government argued that elections for the so-called vocational panels in the Seanad are indirect elections and that councillors, TDs and senators vote on behalf of citizens. The argument went, if citizens want certain people elected to the Seanad, all we have to do is talk to our councillors, TDs and senators and they should vote accordingly in Seanad elections.

In theory – the current Government’s own theory – citizens should engage with the pool of 218 TDs and senators who are eligible to vote now and tell them who we wish for them to vote for. The alternative is that Seanad elections are not indirect elections, reflecting the will of the people, despite what the Government argued in the High Court three years ago.

I would urge everyone to contact the 218 TDs and senators who will be voting in the Seanad byelection in the coming weeks. I certainly will be doing so.