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MAKING THE LEAP forward from the upper to lower house sounds like an oxymoron but it comes with more power and is just what several Senators are hoping to do.
The General Election is, at the VERY latest, going to happen in 15 months – but many have predicted it will take place sooner than that.
Some Senators have already been selected to represent their parties, while others are contesting to contest, if you will.
TheJournal.ie has spoken to several members of Seanad Éireann to see if and why they’re running.
Fine Gael
Colm Burke is hoping his Fine Gael colleagues will choose him to run in Cork North Central, having put his name forward for selection.
Burke was an MEP from 2007-2009, replacing now Agriculture and Defence Minister Simon Coveney when he resigned in order to keep working in national politics.
Burke was a Cork city councillor from 1999 to 2007, serving as Lord Mayor from 2003-2004. He lost his seat at the 2009 European election to party colleague Seán Kelly.
He got over 53,000 first preference votes and said he sometimes teases Dublin MEP Brian Hayes that he only got about 1,000 more first preferences than him, without any competition from another Fine Gael candidate in 2014.
Burke said he has gained “a lot of experience over the years” and, if elected, will focus on issues such as healthcare and housing.
His former party colleague Fidelma Healy-Eames told us she’s considering a bid in Galway West, where she has previously ran for Fine Gael. She left the party in 2013 over her opposition to the Protection of Life During Pregnancy Bill.
“Obviously I believe I have something to contribute. I’m very keen to be part of something new in the Dáil,” she told us, giving a nod to the new groups being formed by Lucinda Creighton and Shane Ross.
Sinn Féin Senator Trevor Ó Clochartaigh is also planning to run in Galway West.
Labour
Labour’s Lorraine Higgins said it’s her “full intention” to contest the General Election in Galway East. The Senator’s profile was raised last year after an unsuccessful European Parliament bid.
Higgins said she got into politics “to make a difference after the economic collapse”.
She told us she’s not overly worried about her party’s low poll rating, saying Labour “suffered because we put the country first, rather than the party”.
I’ll stand on my merit and the service I’ve given to the people of Galway East since I was nominated to the Seanad in 2011. Nobody is entitled to a seat, you need to work hard. It’s up to the people.
Her Labour colleague John Whelan will contest the election in Laois.
Ivana Bacik told us she hasn’t made up her mind on running, adding that she thinks Labour will “do better” than “volatile” opinion polls are suggesting.
Sinn Féin
Senator David Cullinane has been selected as Sinn Féin’s candidate in Waterford.
He said he has been “working on” becoming a TD since 2002, having stood in three general elections.
I know there is criticism of people using the Seanad as a platform for getting into the Dáil and that’s not what it should be used for… but I would argue that we are better legislators [due to experience in the Seanad].
Cullinane said Sinn Féin expects to do well in the next election, but “wont get carried away by opinion polls, that’s for sure”.
“I don’t think there’s a constituency in the state we can’t contest for a seat. We’re doing well because this government has performed badly and the previous government performed badly. People want something different.”
He said his party needs to be “ready for government and want to be in government”.
Fianna Fáil
Thomas Byrne will contest the general election in Meath East for Fianna Fáil, where he was a TD from 2007-2011.
Byrne said he’s done his best in terms of scrutinising legislation in the Seanad and has his “feet firmly on the ground in Meath East”.
He added that the cost of childcare is a “massive issue now, coming up on every second door”.
There’s a lot of availability. It’s the cost that’s really impacting on families. It strikes me door-to-door the amount of grannies minding children. They’re not going to be able to do that indefinitely.
Byrne’s party colleague Averil Power is in the running to be selected as a candidate in Dublin Bay North, while Marc MacSharry is seeking Fianna Fáil’s nomination to run in the new Sligo-Leitrim constituency.
Independents
The independent Senators we spoke to are less sure of attempting to move from the Seanad to the Dáil.
Professor John Crown said he has no intention of running as he wants to continue his day job of oncology research.
“The nice thing about the Seanad – it has been very busy – but you can continue working.”
Jillian Van Turnhout said she is more than happy in the upper house, where she gets to tackle legislation on “sensitive issues” such as children’s rights.
“Who knows what my future will hold – I’ve worked in the private sector, I’ve worked with an NGO and now I’m a legislator.”
Katherine Zappone is thought to be considering a bid, while David Norris has confirmed he will not be running in the General Election.
The most recently-appointed Senator, Gerard Craughwell, also shot down the idea last month, telling us: “I’m a senator and want to remain a senator. I’ve no intention of running for the Dáil at this point.”
A number of other Senators are also considering or making Dáil bids.
Originally published: 10 am, 21 February
Ive just gotten over my all my addictions to chocolate, marshmallows and nuts. I won’t lie, it was a Rocky Road.
@Chris Finch: they’re the worse
@Chris Finch:
They’re the worst
@Peter: you can say that again
@Chris Finch: I’m still highly addicted how did you do it?
The big tin of Roses from the 80s. More sweets and more variety – bring back the coffee cream!
@Roy Kenneally: who I can’t believe I forgot about that one! Devine!
love a bit o Ferrero Rocher, I have refined taste
@qffaffaf affrafrfraf: the ambassadors receptions were known for their hosts exquisite taste
Any chocolate without the palm oil muck as ingredient.
Any confectionary that isn’t made by Nestle.
Does anyone remember the box of ‘Weekend’ chocolates? Or Milk Tray when they actually tasted like chocolate and had the green barrel and came in individual sweet papers loose in the box . My favourite was Terry’s in the gold box with layers of sweets like little drawers. Seems we are being sold what companies describe as chocolates, not what the customer wants and the best sweets taken out and replaced by cheaper toxic versions, so we have stopped buying them and we don’t even miss them.
@Eileen Kelly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCtzPoFfXcM&ab_channel=DublinCityToday
The most magic thing to see this Christmas, the doorman in BT’s singing outside
@Eileen Kelly: oh what a beautiful voice he has…it was so lovely to watch, thank you.
I try to buy Irish, butlers, Lily o briens etc
@GVR: any luck?
@Tom Dillon: luck off
@GVR: Great but I think Lily O Briens are poor.
Lindt chocolates are fantastic too, don’t forget them.
@S K: Those Black round ones are lovely and according to the Journal they’re 23% toxic!
I will not be supporting Israeli products this year… all those chocolates are listed on the BDS boycott list.
@C Adamson: Does posting nonsense make you feel better about yourself? Does having strangers despise you turn you on or something?
@Ollie McGlinchey: Why would anyone despite them for that?
I was always a big Rose’s fan but they taste different this year , as well as the hero’s. Anyone else think the same?
@Butters: palm oil and no milk anymore. Cadbury isn’t close to what it was years ago. All in the pursuit of profit!
@Mark O Brien: It’s make a profit or close!
@Butters: gone to cr@p, and the wrapping is bland.
Leonidas. The white ones. But pricey.
Celebrations. Quality street remind me of the ambiguous period between Christmas and New years when you don’t know what day it is. The Old Supermans are on at midday and it’s nothing but toffee pennys and the manky coffee ones as far as the eye can see.
Leonidas .. delicious, quality chocolate. Hard to beat!
I like to occupy Quality Street.
All trash. Get real chocolate.
Butlers chocolate, yum yum, with a Butler’s coffee.
Black Magic
Aines hand made in Cavan
My favourite box of chocolates is:
A united Ukraine, free of Russian soldiers and the tyranny of autocrat Putin.
@honey badger: Free Palestine.
@Anthony Curran: for a world wide caliphate? No thanks
@honey badger: Zelenskyy is a dollar hungry fraudster.
@honey badger: You refuse to condemn the murder of civilians by the IDF so you’re a massive hypocrite. You’re probably not even based in Ireland as, in the past, you have shown a complete lack of understanding about basic Irish issues. What a sleevín
@Harry Cock: when you take away everything from a people, they usually turn to religion, and religious fever. Tradionally the Palestinians were quite open to living in a mixed land, they even welcomed in many Jewish refugees from Europe after and during ww2 (no palestinian killed a jew in the holocaust) and it should be noted not all Palestinians are Muslim. Oh Hamas may want a Caliphate, or Islamic Jihadists yes, but give Palestinians back what they had and you’ll see they won’t accept rule by Hamas.
@Anthony Curran: free Palestine with every box of chocolates
Once they are made with Belgian chocolate you can call them what you like.. Mmmmm chocolate
Most chocolate are rubbish now cheap quality. If there is palm oil in it leave it on the shelf
Free ones :)
Milk Tray!
anything to be said for an ol’ selection box no?
Fine Belgian chocolate.
Butlers or Lily O’Briens. I am quite posh.
Bring back way Chocolate was made in 80s and 90s way nicer.
Double Centres…
A distant memory.
What a silly question…Why Full one of course! : – )
Mind you the shrinkage over the years is BAH BLOODY HUMBUG!!!
Nothing says Christmas like a Ferrero Rocher. Proper posh
Ferro Roche … the mint with the hole
Life is like a box of chocolates…!
A FULL BOX OF CHOCOLATE is my Favourite
How can quality street be 20% when lesser of the above
have your say