NUI Senate elections - 30 candidates for 3 positions

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Brendan Burgess

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This must be one of the most highly contested elections. As an NUI graduate, I am so lucky in the wide selection of talent on offer. It will be very hard to choose between such luminaries as
  • Jerry Beades
  • David Begg
  • Rory Hearne
  • Carol Hunt
  • Rónán Mullen
You can see the full cast at http://www.nui.ie/news/2016/SE2016_candidates.asp
I voted against the Senate in the referendum and am inclined not to vote in the election. On the other hand, there are many candidates there whom I don't want to see being given a platform.

Brendan
 
I always find it funny that anti-establishment figures such as David Norris and Ivana Bacik use the Senate, an undemocratic throwback to Imperialist privilege, to gain a voice and profile.
I have great respect for David Norris, though I don't particularly like him. I can't stand Ivana Bacik and her bigoted angry views.
 
Why not make it democratic by treating all citizens of the country equally rather than having our very own mini-me version of the House of Lords?
 
In fairness not every candidate for the NUI panel is as ... interesting... as Mr. Beades. It is a huge field though!

Some have explicitly put Seanad reform on their manifestos, though none (so far that I have noticed) have made specific reference to the 1979 referendum. A few have included opening the Seanad vote to all. One has specifically mentioned inclusion of emigrants.

Actually - edit - just checked the website of one of the candidates that came through my letter box yesterday, Pearce Flannery has specifically included the 1979 referendum.
 
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Do they now understand what democracy means in a republic?
The Seanad is an insult to every Irish person and a perversion of the ideals of a republic. It is elitist to its core.
 
It exists though, and was retained by plebiscite, ignoring it hasn't made it go away - so using it and changing it are the logical way to go.

I for one registered to vote after the referendum.
 
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Purple said:
Why not make it democratic by treating all citizens of the country equally rather than having our very own mini-me version of the House of Lords?
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That would require a referendum which is not something a Seanad candidate can promise.
I'm open to all proposals on Seanad reform, but anything dramatic is going to require a referendum. After the last debacle, do you see anything happening on that in the next 5 years?

Therefore, I would more likely believe a promise from a candidate to push for legislation to enact an already passed referenda and expand the franchise in line with the expressed wishes of the Irish people.
 
PaddyBloggit said:
I'm not bothering to vote this time. All election material has gone straight into the bin.
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That was my approach initially, but then I realised how bad some of the candidates actually are, and I want to do my bit to make sure that they don't get elected through my abstention.

Brendan
 
I know little or nothing about any of them so they can all have a non vote from me.

The amount of election litter I've got from them is ridiculous.
 
A non vote is a wasted opportunity. Agree that there appears to be many candidates. But fair play to them all for putting themselves forward. It's the electorate's job to give some of them the opportunity to do good/ bad when elected ... Rethink your no vote strategy ... Please
 
I'll be voting for Michael McDowell. Ellen O'Malley-Dunlop has also impressed me over the years, but I am a self-confessed McDowell fan.
 
My First Class Honours degree and Masters from DCU....no voting for me
 
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