Enda not so quick to scrap Seanad now

Remember the blustering Enda Kenny did before the general election last year about how useless the Seanad was and how he couldn't wait to get rid? Well he's after delaying by at least a year.

Enda and the boys think they should delay a vote on abolishing the Seanad for at least a year. Granted there are more important things going on right now, but surely he didn't need to be so vociferous about his condemnation during the campaign.

So what's with the delay? Well the Taoiseach is hiding behind the planned constitutional review. The breadth of items to be considered by the review group is getting larger by the day and will surely have a lengthy lifetime.

When Enda announced his plan to scrap the Seanad it came as a surprise to his entire party, other parties and pretty much everyone else. 'Solo run' were the words most used to describe Enda's effort.

The now Taoiseach was also accused of being populist. A fact probably borne out by the fact that the Seanad hasn't been reformed once since it was weakened by de Valera 1937. This is despite the fact that 12 reports on reforming the Seanad have been commissioned by the Government since 1928.