Sir, – Lynn Ruane ought to be commended on her decision to seek a Seanad seat in the approaching general election, and will undoubtedly serve as a devoted and enthusiastic advocate for higher-level education ("Aspiring senator's crusading zeal for social justice", January 6th). However, it is perhaps unfortunate that none of Ms Ruane's fellow students, or indeed the majority of the population who are not university graduates, will be able to cast a single vote in her favour.
Seanad reform has been cast surreptitiously from the political agenda as we are left with a means of election that systematically prioritises the interests of the established, educated and (most often) wealthy. If seanadóirí have been accused (perhaps justly) of failing to make themselves heard, it is only because we have denied them an electoral system that offers them full democratic legitimacy. Ms Ruane’s campaign reveals the potential value of elections to our Upper House based not on geographical constituencies but on pertinent sectional interests, a value that is denied its full force by an anomalous process of election. – Yours, etc,
CHRISTOPHER
McMAHON,
Castleknock, Dublin 15.