Taoiseach's nominees to the Seanad.

[Baron von Biffo]

Enda Kenny sees the seanad as a worthless institution that must be abolished. That position leaves him with a problem when it comes to his constitutional duty to appoint 11 senators.

It would be an insult to ask anyone of political or intellectual substance to sit in what he believes is a useless forum so will he go down the 'Honours List' road?

Will we have a sports-person, an actor, someone who delivers meals-on-wheels, a token black/Muslim/other minority person, 11 from Mayo Macra/ICA, Jedward?

Maybe he should set up a 1550 number and let the public vote on it.

[simonj]

If I were a gambling man, I'd put a wager on Seamus Heany, who FG would like to put in the Aras

[C. Flower]

I like the idea of public nominations. But the dilemma would be, to nominate good, useful people, or people who might do more damage elsewhere?

[Captain Con O'Sullivan]

I recall one of Blair's challenges to the House of Lords which was stuffed full of Tory cronies in his first term. He came up with the idea of 'People's Peers' which turned out to be a series of New Labour cronies. That died a death.

I think it would be an interesting signal from Kenny as the worst thing he could do is attempt to go down the crony route and besides it wouldn't make much sense as the Senate in its current format is a fairly lame duck and shows all the signs of being a resthome for party hacks rather than the intended check on a Dail majority it is supposed to be.

The electoral system is a nonsense as well and in reality is no more than a byzantine attempt to hide the fact that it is a vested interest sect divvied up between the professions, the unions and universities. There is no indication that it has ever performed a useful democratic function.

[Andrew49]

Enda's nominees for the Seanad: Source (http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/0520/breaking59.html)

Ms Mary Moran
Teacher

Ms Mary Ann O’Brien
Business Woman and Co Founder of Jack & Jill Foundation

Ms Marie Louise O’Donnell
Educationalist

Ms Jillian van Turnhout
Children's Rights Alliance

Ms Katherine Zappone
Member of the Irish Human Rights Commission

Mr Jim Darcy
Teacher & Member of Louth County Council

Mr Eamon Coughlan
Director, Crumlin Children’s Medical & Research Foundation

Ms Aideen Hayden
Solicitor and Chairperson of Threshold

Ms Lorraine Higgins
Barrister

Mr Fiach MacConghail
Director of Abbey Theatre

Dr Martin McAleese
Dental Surgeon

[Dr. FIVE]

Ms Marie Louise O’Donnell
Educationalist



The aul Rapture is getting more appealing by the minute

[Kid Ryder]

Enda's nominees for the Seanad: Source (http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/0520/breaking59.html)

Ms Mary Moran
Teacher

Ms Mary Ann O’Brien
Business Woman and Co Founder of Jack & Jill Foundation

Ms Marie Louise O’Donnell
Educationalist

Ms Jillian van Turnhout
Children's Rights Alliance

Ms Katherine Zappone
Member of the Irish Human Rights Commission

Mr Jim Darcy
Teacher & Member of Louth County Council

Mr Eamon Coughlan
Director, Crumlin Children’s Medical & Research Foundation

Ms Aideen Hayden
Solicitor and Chairperson of Threshold

Ms Lorraine Higgins
Barrister

Mr Fiach MacConghail
Director of Abbey Theatre

Dr Martin McAleese
Dental Surgeon

I take it Dr. McAleese is the President's other half. Whatever about this appointment's legality or constitutionality, is it wise? It doesn't look good for being 'above politics' if the head of state's spouse is a serving politician. It's bad form too when the Oireland Inc. booboisie can't be seen to heed their own conventions.

[Kid Ryder]

The Zappone nomination is perhaps an attempt to have her inside the tent pi$$ing out rather than vice versa?

[morticia]

I'm not fully up to date on this, but some of them look like worthy contributors rather than merely party hacks??

[The Moth]

The labour party nominations are Lorainne Higgins, Aideen Hayden and Mary Moran all failed labour candidates. Dr. Katherine Zappone runs community centre in Tallaght. An uninspired selection from Eamon Gilmore.

[ang]

Mr Fiach MacConghail chair of wethecitizens

[PaddyJoe]

Marie Louise? Now I start to see the outlines of the cunning and devious plot to dispose of the Senate:D

[Baron von Biffo]

I take it Dr. McAleese is the President's other half. Whatever about this appointment's legality or constitutionality, is it wise? It doesn't look good for being 'above politics' if the head of state's spouse is a serving politician.

Excellent point.

[Baron von Biffo]

Marie Louise? Now I start to see the outlines of the cunning and devious plot to dispose of the Senate:D

Kenny's Eoghan Harris?

Readers may recall that before the GE she gave Kenny an in-house interview that FG posted online but subsequently pulled because he made a balls of it.

[Spectabilis]

Dr Katherine Zappone is one of Eamonn Gilmore's nominees. She and her wife, Dr Ann Louise Gilligan, have been campaigning to have their Canadian marriage recognised, and are awaiting a supreme Court decision. She has a strong record of working for marginalised groups.

[Fraxinus]

Enda's nominees for the Seanad: Source (http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/0520/breaking59.html)

Ms Mary Moran
Teacher

Ms Mary Ann O’Brien
Business Woman and Co Founder of Jack & Jill Foundation

Ms Marie Louise O’Donnell
Educationalist

Ms Jillian van Turnhout
Children's Rights Alliance

Ms Katherine Zappone
Member of the Irish Human Rights Commission

Mr Jim Darcy
Teacher & Member of Louth County Council

Mr Eamon Coughlan
Director, Crumlin Children’s Medical & Research Foundation

Ms Aideen Hayden
Solicitor and Chairperson of Threshold

Ms Lorraine Higgins
Barrister

Mr Fiach MacConghail
Director of Abbey Theatre

Dr Martin McAleese
Friends of the UDA Charity

Fixed that :)

[Binn Beal]

Pity Eoghan Harris wasn't able change his coat and his views again in time.

It's old but well worth repeating.Caligula only made a senator of his horse, Bertie made a senator of a horse's ass.

[C. Flower]

Not sure if Gilmore's nominations are up here yet. I have to rush, so perhaps someone if they wanted to could start a new thread ?



The Tanaiste and leader of Labour Party Eamon Gilmore has announced that his four recommendations for inclusion in the Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s Seanad nominees are: Dr Katherine Zappone, Aideen Hayden, Lorraine Higgins and Mary Moran.

Dr Katherine Zappone is an Irish Human Rights Commissioner and a former CEO of the National Women’s Council of Ireland. Aideen Hayden is a solicitor and Chairperson of the housing charity Threshold. Lorraine Higgins is a barrister and Mary Moran is a teacher by profession.

“I am delighted to recommend these four outstanding candidates for inclusion in the Taoiseach’s nominees to the Seanad”, the Tanaiste said.

ENDS

Contact Dermot O’Gara, Labour Press Office
01-618-4302
086-084-6534

www.labour.ie/press

Biographies

Dr Katherine Zappone

Dr Katherine Zappone is currently an Irish Human Rights Commissioner, having been first appointed in 2001. She has lectured in the fields of ethics, theology and education at the University of Dublin, Trinity College.

She is a former CEO of the National Women’s Council of Ireland and a co-founder of An Cosan which is a centre of learning, leadership and enterprise in Tallaght West in Dublin.

Dr Zappone is also a prominent equal rights campaigner and lives in Dublin with her partner Dr Ann Louise Gilligan.

Aideen Hayden

Aideen Hayden has served as chairperson of the housing charity Threshold since 1998. A qualified solicitor, Ms Hayden has focused her work with the charity on the areas of housing legislation and homeless prevention.

She was a Labour party candidate on the Industrial and Commercial panel in the 2011 Seanad elections. A native of Carlow she now lives in Dublin with her husband and two teenage daughters.

Lorraine Higgins

Lorraine Higgins is a barrister and practices on the western circuit. She is also a membership officer with Junior Chamber International Galway.

She received over 3,500 first preference votes in the constituency of Galway East in the 2011 General Election. She also stood as a Labour party candidate on the Industrial and Commercial panel in the subsequent Seanad elections.

Ms Higgins lives in Athenry, Co. Galway.

Mary Moran

Mary Moran is a teacher at St Vincent’s Secondary School in Dundalk, Co. Louth. She is also a member of the Parents Council and Board of Management of St Mary’s Special School in Drumcar.

She received over 4,500 first preference votes in the recent General Election and was a Labour party candidate in the recent Seanad elections.

She is originally from Blackrock in Louth and now lives in Haggardstown with her husband and five teenage children

[DCon]

According to the Times today, Dr. McAleese will choose not to be paid for his part-time Seanad gig while the Mrs. is serving as President.

Will be hard for him to run up expenses too with the Aras as his home!!

[Baron von Biffo]

The Tanaiste and leader of Labour Party Eamon Gilmore has announced that his four recommendations for inclusion in the Taoiseach Enda Kenny’s Seanad nominees are: Dr Katherine Zappone, Aideen Hayden, Lorraine Higgins and Mary Moran.

I wonder if Gilmore's selection of four women nominees was prompted by accusations of sexism in his cabinet choices?

[Baron von Biffo]

According to the Times today, Dr. McAleese will choose not to be paid for his part-time Seanad gig while the Mrs. is serving as President.

Will be hard for him to run up expenses too with the Aras as his home!!

James Reilly got €30k and he's not too much farther away.

[Baron von Biffo]

Kenny's lot look as if he did opt for the 'Honours List' approach. All doubtless very worthy but hard to see any of them having anything to offer the Oireachtas. Then again, your choices are limited when you're on record as believing that it's a worthless forum.

[DCon]

According to the Times today, Dr. McAleese will choose not to be paid for his part-time Seanad gig while the Mrs. is serving as President.

Will be hard for him to run up expenses too with the Aras as his home!!

Dr.McAleese may not have to move home when the wife loses her job..


Meanwhile, it is reported in today’s Irish Mail on Sunday that Fine Gael may opt for a ‘compromise candidate’ in the form of the current president’s husband Martin McAleese.

The paper reports that one of the Taoiseach’s nominees to the Seanad would be seen as a candidate that the party could unite behind avoiding a bruising campaign.

Former president of the European Parliament Pat Cox and MEP Mairead McGuinness have already declared their intentions to run as the party’s candidate in the Autumn but both are garnering little enthusiasm among the Fine Gael grassroots according to John Lee in the Mail.

http://www.thejournal.ie/fianna-fail-may-not-run-aras-candidate-as-fine-gael-may-opt-for-martin-mcaleese-149506-Jun2011/

[Baron von Biffo]

Marie Louise O'Donnell, who got the pro-government journalist seat in the Seanad from Gump, just made a puke inducing contribution to News at One to tell us that she's voting against the respite cuts.