Bicameralism in the Republic of Ireland: The Seanad Abolition Referendum

Abstract

Whether or not a legislature is uni- or bi-cameral has been found to have important consequences. Ireland's 1937 constitution provided for a directly elected lower chamber (Dáil Éireann) and an indirectly elected upper chamber (Seanad Éireann). With the appointment to government in 2011 of two political parties with a common electoral commitment to abolish bicameralism, the subsequent coalition agreement included a promise to hold a referendum offering voters the option to move to a unicameral parliamentary system. On 4 October 2013, the electorate voted to retain the upper chamber, albeit by a narrow majority of 51.7 per cent, on a turnout of 39.17 per cent. The outcome was arguably surprising, given that opinion polls signalled a plurality of voters favoured abolition, and there was a general public antipathy towards political institutions in the midst of a major economic crisis. Public opinion research suggests that a combination of factors explained voting behaviour, including a lack of interest amongst those who did not vote. A cost savings argument was a significant factor for those favouring abolition, while concerns over government control of the legislative process appear to have been most prominent in the minds of those who voted to retain the upper chamber.

Keywords:

• Bicameralism
• Ireland
• Seanad Éireann
• Referendum

Notes

1 Formally, the Constitution specifies that parliament (the Oireachtas) is composed of these two chambers plus the office of President. While the Irish president is directly elected, it enjoys few discretionary political powers (although see further Elgie, 2012).

2 Under the Seanad's Standing Orders, the chamber can be recalled on the written request of 20 Senators.

3 A referendum to create a new Court of Criminal Appeal also took place in parallel.

4 For example, in December 2013, Frances Fitzgerald, a Fine Gael cabinet minister, reportedly said that it had been wrong and demeaning to ‘rubbish’ the Seanad and Senators as part of the referendum campaign (The Irish Times, December 27, 2013).

5 Graduates of the National University of Ireland elect three Senators and graduates of the University of Dublin elect three Senators. These six Senators are commonly referred to as the ‘University Senators’ – some hold party affiliations while others remain non-party. The 2011 University Senators are Rónán Mullen, Feargal Quinn, John Crown (National University constituency), and Ivana Bacik, Sean Barrett, and David Norris for the University of Dublin constituency.

6 To date, the lowest turnout at a referendum occurred in July 1979, when just 28.57 per cent of the electorate voted – on the 7th Amendment, which allowed for University representation in the Seanad to be altered.