Sir, – It is generally accepted that the current Seanad electoral system is flawed. It is also obviously desirable that the Seanad not be merely a pale reflection of the Dáil.
The electorate could be broadened in many ways. For example, it might valuably include all EU citizens resident in Ireland, and all Irish citizens resident in other EU countries, which would encourage the Seanad to pay special attention to EU legislative proposals and to the work of the Commission.
If the proposal to extend the franchise for the six university seats to all graduates remains confined to only 10 per cent of the seats, it cannot matter very much. But differentiating Irish residents by educational level sets a bad precedent.
In 2011, about a third of the population aged 25-39 had university degrees compared to an average of 14 per cent for those 40 and over. The proportion of the population getting higher education has risen very sharply in recent years. In 2012 the number of entrants to a full-time undergraduate course was equivalent to 79 per cent of the population aged 18. The proportion of the voting-age population with degrees will therefore increase over time, eventually becoming a majority.
Those with degrees tend to have higher than average incomes, so the Seanad electorate will increasingly be more affluent than the average citizen.
If a reformed Seanad plays any significant political role at all, this strikes me as unjust. – Yours, etc,
TIMOTHY KING,
Shanganagh Terrace,
Killiney,
Co Dublin.