SEANAD:FIANNA FÁIL leader Micheál Martin has told his party's outgoing senators that future members of Seanad Éireann need to be strong national legislators with the potential to win Dáil seats.
Mr Martin met most of the party’s 25 Senators in the 23rd Seanad for an hour yesterday afternoon to put his case for renewal and also hear their views.
A spokesman said the Fianna Fáil leader contended the party needed Senators who would be central to its renewal following its worst general election.
“He told them he would be looking for people who have a track record, or the potential to be national legislators.”
Mr Martin has already spoken privately to a number of “career” Senators, asking them to step aside.
Some have agreed, although others – including Terry Leyden, Mary White, Donie Cassidy and Labhrás Ó Murchú – have resisted. Most have already received nominations from outside agencies.
At the meeting, a number of Senators told Mr Martin that he would need to run far more candidates than the 12 which Fianna Fáil can expect to get elected in the Upper House when the election is held in late April.
The party controls nominations for the “inside panel” for each of the five vocational panels. However, prescribed bodies nominate for the “outside” panel and the party can exert no control over who receives a nomination.
Ms White said she had already been nominated by the Irish Exporters Association and that she intended to stand. The only question remained was if she could use the Fianna Fáil logo.
The matter will be discussed at a meeting of the party’s ardchomhairle tonight but no decision will be taken on the selection policy until later this month.
Several Senators, speaking on condition of anonymity, said last night they expected Mr Martin to reach a level of compromise with outgoing career Senators, which may allow some of them to remain on the party ticket.
Meanwhile, teachers are seeking to retain influence in the Seanad following the retirement of former INTO (Irish National Teachers Organisation) general secretary Joe O’Toole, with the nomination of former union president Declan Kelleher.
Nominations for the six university seats, three each for the National University of Ireland and Dublin University/Trinity College, close today and the full list of candidates will be released shortly afterwards.
Mr O’Toole retires from the university panel after 24 years in the Seanad, and Mr Kelleher, who served as INTO president from 2008 to 2009, will run for that panel.
Mr Kelleher, a Co Clare native and former president of the St Patrick’s teaching college students union, was first elected to the national executive of the primary school teachers union in 1996.
A number of outgoing senators are also seeking re-election to the six seats on the university panels.
Outgoing NUI senators Ronán Mullen and Feargal Quinn are also running again.
Defeated Dún Laoghaire Labour Dáil candidate and Senator Ivana Bacik will run in an effort to retain her Trinity College seat. Outgoing Senator David Norris, who hopes to run in the presidential campaign, has also confirmed his intention to stand for the Trinity panel.
A vacancy has arisen for the third Dublin University seat following the election of outgoing Senator Shane Ross to the Dáil in Dublin South.
Former Progressive Democrats and now Independent Senator Fiona O’Malley, a Taoiseach’s nominee, has also confirmed her intention to run for the Dublin University panel.
Ms O’Malley, a TD for the Progressive Democrats from 2002 until 2007, when she lost her Dún Laoghaire seat, said yesterday that since that party’s demise, there was no real liberal voice in the Dáil. She believed that “the best job in politics next to a cabinet minister are the university Senators because they have a free alternative voice”.
Former chief executive of the Irish Refugee Council Robin Hanan is also among the Trinity College candidates. Mr Hanan, based in Bray, Co Wicklow, is a human rights and social justice campaigner.
SEANAD NOMINEES AND CANDIDATES
ELEVEN NOMINEES to the 60-seat Seanad are appointed by the Taoiseach, while the remaining 43 are elected through a number of vocational panels.
Nominations for the vocational panels close on March 13th and ballot papers will be issued to the vocational panel electorate – outgoing Senators, incoming TDs, as well as members of city and county councils – on April 7th. The poll closes at 11am on April 26th.
Postal ballots will also be issued to the university electorates on March 21st and polls close on April 27th at 11 am.
The Trinity College panel has an estimated 65,000 electorate and there is an electorate of about 100,000 for the NUI panel.
In 2007, there were 11 candidates for the Dublin University/Trinity College panel and 24 candidates for the NUI panel.
