Gavan Reilly: Seanad Eireann is 100: Can the old dog learn new tricks?

Has there ever been a birthday marked with less aplomb? It’s fair to say Seanad Éireann, marking its big roundy birthday this year, is little-loved. I suspect that’s partly because the Seanad of 2022 isn’treally composed in the way that the Seanad of 1922, or 1937, was intended. The whole idea of the Seanad was that the business of the State would be considered by a different style of politician to the Dáil - basically to be apolitical, with no partisan ties to the Government, so that the merits and potential pitfalls of legislation could be considered with a straight face and a sober mind.

The Seanad never really turned out that way. Yes, there are a few maverick and independently-minded senators who owe nothing to anyone - mostly drawn from university panels, given how difficult it is for independents to get elected any other way - but very quickly the vocational panel system was colonised by the political parties and soon the chamber became more of a Dáíl-lite.

It's now seven years since the referendum to abolish the upper house, which led to a genuine attempt to overhaul the running of the place and the manner in which it is elected. With so much time having passed, it’s hard to see that picking up much steam now. So how to reinvigorate the place and give it life in its second century? One humble idea: stop waiting for Government approval to change the manner of election.

Instead, focus on the internal rules of business, which need nobody else’s imprimatur. Allow the public place items on the agenda by petition; merge the duplicatory stages of lawmaking; restructure the day so as not to clash with peak Dáil’s business.