Sir, – I would urge caution against the simplistic notion that all the Government must do is widen the electorate to the upper house in an attempt to reform the Seanad, as many are urging.
Do we really need a second chamber which has an electoral mandate similar to the Dáil? Secondly, while the idea of giving the diaspora a vote seems novel, has anyone thought through the practicalities of holding such an election in practice using our electoral system of proportional representation; never mind the legitimacy of votes for citizens who do not physically live or pay taxes here? Finally, how would we categorise which vocational panels individual citizens are eligible to vote for?
Once one looks beyond the increasingly bland calls for “reform”, it is clear the devil is very much in the detail. Sadly, many of the commentators who advocated a No vote haven’t yet produced proposals that satisfactorily overcome the severe limits posed by the current wording of the Constitution. In the unlikely event such proposals ever come about, I can’t help but feel the decision to keep the Seanad was a missed opportunity for real reform. – Yours, etc,
IAN O’MARA,
Haddington Road,
Dublin 4.