THERE APPEARS to be an element of game-playing in Fianna Fáil’s sudden conversion to political reform and, specifically, to the possible abolition of the Seanad. The need for broad reform is undeniable. But abolition of the Seanad, rather than fundamental changes to it, has not been adequately debated in public. The original intention, as set out by Fine Gael, had much to do with cost-saving, rather than improving the accountability and effectiveness of the political process.
Since then, the proposal has received belated support from the Labour Party, Fine Gael’s putative partner in government. And Green Party Minister John Gormley appeared surprised yesterday that Fianna Fáil might contemplate holding a referendum to abolish the Upper House on the same day as the general election – as suggested by Minister for Defence Tony Killeen.
Postponing the coming election for as long as possible has been Fianna Fáil’s driving ambition. Already, it has pushed the likely date out towards the end of March in spite of Mr Gormley’s earlier insistence that a date should be set by the end of January. The quid pro quo has been the prospect of passing Green Party legislation dealing with climate change, the environment and a directly elected lord mayor of Dublin. The addition of a Referendum Bill would greatly extend the amount of Dáil time required. The fact that the matter was not discussed at Cabinet before Mr Killeen outlined the scenario hints at further pressure being exerted on Mr Gormley.
Abolishing the Seanad would save money and create an impression that political reform is being taken seriously. But 12 separate reports that advocated reform were allowed to gather dust by successive governments. The latest, from 2004, acknowledged that many members of the public viewed the Seanad as “weak, ineffective and of questionable value”. So it is. If it is to survive, there will have to be radical change to the nomination process and the electorate.
Of greater importance is Dáil reform, the nature of the electoral system and the overbearing power of the Executive. The future of multi-seat constituencies under PR and their tendency to promote parochial interests have been opened up for discussion. But the possibility of providing for single-seat constituencies with a limited list system has been opposed by sitting members. Re-balancing the powers of parliament vis a vis the Executive is of prime importance. In that regard, the introduction of a five-day Dáil working week and shorter holiday periods could begin that process.
Fianna Fáil has been in power for 21 of the past 23 years. During that time it rolled back basic reforms under the Freedom of Information Act and ignored proposals for ethics legislation. Funding of political parties has been a running scandal. Ignoring the intent of the law, parties have consistently solicited donations that fall below the disclosure threshold. Millions of euro are paid by businesses but not a single donation is officially recorded. That cannot continue.