COMMENT

YOU could almost hear the sound of a nation collectively yawning when the debate on Seanad Eireann got underway this month.

Enda Kenny previously told us he was committed to abolishing the Seanad and now he’s going to make good on his promise by holding a referendum on the issue. The Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton, has been appointed Director of Elections for Fine Gael’s referendum campaign.

Without being overly cynical, for most people this will arguably be the most boring referendum campaign in the history of the State. Even some radio show presenters seemed mindful of this and were almost apologetic to their listeners for having to cover the Seanad story in such detail.

Don’t get me wrong – I’m fully in favour of political reform and there is a clear need for proper debate on the issue. But we should be careful that these reforms are in the best interest of democracy and are not just populist gestures by the Government.

Let’s also hope that the relentless discussions about the future of the Upper House won’t mask the more immediate issues facing ordinary people and businesses.

The implementation of the property tax is pretty much a fait accompli at this stage due to the range of powers afforded to the Revenue. And in the next few years we’ll be paying for our water, pushing families even closer to the brink of poverty.

And what about Fine Gael’s promise to end upward only rent reviews and ease this extraordinary burden on businesses? Well, that all changed when they got into Government.

The previous Fianna Fail/Green Party administration had ended the practice of upward only clauses being included in commercial leases signed after February 28, 2010. But when the current Government came to power, they discovered that any legislation to retrospectively abolish upward only rent agreements could be open to a constitutional challenge by landlords.

Meanwhile, business after business is collapsing under the pressure of unsustainable rents, jobs are being lost and the Government is picking up the social welfare tab. It doesn’t make any sense – economically, politically or morally.

If it’s a constitutional challenge they fear, could the issue of upward only rents possibly be dealt with by way of a referendum? It’s a question worth asking.

Clearly, the outcome here would be more beneficial to society than the abolition or retention of the Seanad.