Here’s How 59 – Seanad Referendum Revisited




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

Summary: Opposition parties have called for <a href="http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/ireland/calls-for-whistleblower-inquiry-to-be-expanded-to-include-politicians-776327.html" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">the Disclosures Tribunal</a> to be expanded. The <a href="http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/the_macLochlainn_commission_of_investigation" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">MacLochlainn Tribunal</a> does exist, but the Boyle Tribunal does not. Yet. Honest.<br> <a href="http://faduda.net/articles/tribunals/morris-tribunal-for-dummies/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">Village magazine summarised</a> 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…”<br> 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 occasions  justice ministers have given the exact same answer –  word for word – as an excuse for why no criminal investigations have begun yet, <a href="http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/PQ-18-06-2015-175" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">here</a>, <a href="http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/PQ-26-05-2015-496" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">here</a>, <a href="http://www.inis.gov.ie/en/JELR/Pages/PQ-12-05-2015-385" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">here</a>, <a href="https://www.kildarestreet.com/wrans/?id=2015-06-16a.844&amp;s=%22I+am+informed+by+the+Garda+authorities+that%2C+following+the+examination+by+An+Garda+S%C3%ADoch%C3%A1na+of+the+report+of+the+Moriarty+Tribunal%2C+the+advice+of+the+Director+of+Public+Prosecutions" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">here</a> and <a href="http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/PQ-14-01-2015-396" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">here</a>.<br> The text of <a href="http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/1999/act/10/section/41/enacted/en/html" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">the statute on perverting the course of justice</a> is here. Perhaps someone can forward it to the DPP’s office.<br> Google trends shows that the <a href="https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?q=seanad" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">Seanad is almost never searched</a> 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.<br> <a href="http://blog.hereshow.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/fmatt21.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-wpel-link="internal"></a> <a href="http://blog.hereshow.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/fmatt31.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-wpel-link="internal"></a><br> And this Democracy Matters leaflet offered both ‘more democracy‘ in the seanad but to reserve places for ‘experts‘.<a href="http://blog.hereshow.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/fmatt31.jpg" data-wpel-link="internal"><br> </a> <a href="http://blog.hereshow.ie/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/demmatters21.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-wpel-link="internal"></a><br> Some highlights from prominent senators include Fidelma Healy Eames repeating laughable <a href="http://www.dailyedge.ie/fidelma-healy-eames-mothers-day-1993263-Mar2015/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">claims that the marriage equality referendum would lead to Mothers’ Day being banned</a>, citing the <a href="http://www.broadsheet.ie/2015/03/15/keeping-mum/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">antisemetic Holocaust denial website Rense.com</a> as a source; and Lorraine Clifford-Lee <a href="http://www.thejournal.ie/seagulls-lasers-seanad-3278519-Mar2017/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">proposing laser-defence systems</a> to tackle the supposed growing problem of seagulls.<br> They are laughable, but far more dangerous was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYTeSzbQxPg" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">Paschal Mooney of Fianna Fáil repeating false claims of antivax conspiarcy</a> theorists, giving credibility to false rumours that have led to a collapse in the HPV vaccination rates, <a href="http://www.thejournal.ie/hpv-vaccine-5-3076013-Nov2016/" data-wpel-link="external" target="_blank" rel="external noopener noreferrer">endangering the lives of many young women</a>.<br>