Sir, – Technological University Dublin is on the way, a most welcome development. Are its graduates to continue to be discriminated against when it comes to voting in Seanad elections, as their constituent colleges are today?
Next year will mark the 40th anniversary of the passing of the Seventh Amendment to the Constitution allowing for graduates of third-level institutes, in addition to graduates of TCD and NUI, to participate in the election of the six university senators. Yet TCD and NUI graduates continue to be the only ones who get to vote.
Pocket or rotten boroughs in parliament, that is seats controlled by a select few, were abolished in Britain and Ireland in the early 19th century. The continuing arrangement for electing university senators is the nearest thing we now have to such boroughs.
The people voted for change four decades ago. Could we please have legislation to implement their decision before the next Seanad election? – Yours, etc,
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GAY MITCHELL,
Dublin 6.