Economist Barrett takes seat with Norris and Bacik

ECONOMIST Dr Seán Barrett won the last seat on the Dublin University panel for Seanad
Éireann on the 18th count, which was announced at 11.30pm.

By the 15th count, announced just after 8.30pm, the TCD lecturer had overtaken his main rival, solicitor Tony Williams, by a narrow margin of 18 votes, thanks to transfers from former PD senator Fiona O’Malley.

With the benefit of further transfers from Travellers’ rights campaigner Rosaleen  McDonagh, economics journalist and broadcaster Marc Coleman and medical doctor and columnist Maurice Gueret, Dr Barrett consolidated his lead.

By the 18th and final count, Dr Barrett had 3,065 votes compared to 2,480 for Mr Williams.

A native of Cork city, Dr Barrett is a senior lecturer in the department of economics at Trinity College, a fellow of the college and former junior dean. This was his third time running for a seat on the TCD panel.

He said he hoped parliament would drive the economic recovery, “because so many institutions have failed in recent years”.

Dr Barrett believes in closer parliamentary scrutiny of banking and bank regulation as well as of appointments to State boards.

On the proposed abolition of the Seanad, he said: “It has to prove itself, because there will be a public referendum, but at the moment the groups which would benefit the most would be people like the banks who would escape scrutiny from the upper house.”

Earlier, David Norris had been re-elected on the first count, which had to be rerun  yesterday morning when about 150 additional votes were located.

Sitting Senator Ivana Bacik was elected on the 10th count. She is a Labour Party member but was running as an Independent.

The continued existence of a reformed Seanad was more important than ever in view of the huge majority the Government held in Dáil Éireann, Mr Norris said.

Speaking after his re-election, he said it was critical for the media to provide greater coverage of Seanad proceedings in advance of the referendum.

“I am looking forward to the co-operation of the media, both print and broadcast, in this,

because it is very important that, in making their choice in the referendum, the Irish people are fully informed of both sides of the argument and this is the responsibility of the media.

“I also think that it is a very serious step for any democratic state to abolish an entire arm of the legislature. It should only be done after a full and serious debate on the implications of this step and I look forward to playing a full part in this debate,” he said.

Ms Bacik said: “I look forward to re-entering the Seanad for what I hope will be an exciting and productive term. It may be the last term of the Seanad but I think there is a lot that can be achieved in there, particularly with a sense that it is coming to an end. It’s a challenge to make what we do more relevant, more radical.

She added: “Just to abolish the Seanad alone doesn’t achieve the sort of fundamental reform that people were looking for in the general election and are still looking for."