Here's How ::: Ireland's Political, Social and Current Affairs Podcast

Here's How ::: Ireland's Political, Social and Current Affairs Podcast


Here's How 59 - Seanad Referendum Revisited

April 18, 2017

Opposition parties have called for the Disclosures Tribunal to be expanded. The MacLochlainn Tribunal does exist, but the Boyle Tribunal does not. Yet. Honest.
Village magazine summarised the Morris Tribunal report in 2005 saying “the gardaí are in a state of disarray, with low morale, poor discipline, lack of oversight, and a culture of silence…”
The Moriarty Tribunal found as fact in 2011 that Michael Lowry had an “insidious and pervasive” influence over the awarding the 086 licence to Denis O’Brien’s company Digifone. Since then, on at least five separate occassions  justice ministers have given the exact same answer -  word for word - as an excuse for why no criminal investigations have begun yet, here, here, here, here and here.
The text of the statute on perverting the course of justice is here. Perhaps someone can forward it to the DPP's office.
Google trends shows that the Seanad is almost never searched apart from at election time. This Future Matters leaflet clearly cast the referendum as a choice between reform and abolition, despite no reform being on the ballot.
 
And this Democracy Matters leaflet offered both 'more democracy' in the seanad but to reserve places for 'experts'.

Some highlights from prominent senators include Fidelma Healy Eames repeating laughable claims that the marriage equality referendum would lead to Mothers' Day being banned, citing the antisemetic Holocaust denial website Rense.com as a source; and Lorraine Clifford-Lee proposing laser-defence systems to tackle the supposed growing problem of seagulls.
They are laughable, but far more dangerous was Paschal Mooney of Fianna Fáil repeating false claims of antivax conspiarcy theorists, giving credibility to false rumours that have led to a collapse in the HPV vaccination rates, endangering the lives of many young women.