Were senators on strike 25% of the time?

Bradley Bytes   – A sort of political column

The voter turnout in last Friday’s election was pretty poor.

At 39% nationally, it was one of the lowest turnouts for a referendum. Not that senators are in a position to complain.

They’re hardly model voters, according to the Irish Independent, who carried out a study of the voting habits of that previously endangered species – the senator.

It found that on average senators don’t bother to turn up for one in four votes in the Upper House.

Imagine if a bin man did the same – and didn’t bother to collect one in every four bins. Or what if teachers decide not to teach one in four students?

Don’t forget these pampered politicians are on a three-day week, seem to have endless holidays, and are paid €60,000 plus expenses for their jobs, which includes voting on legislation.

The Indo painstakingly went through the voting record of each senator. We’ve taken the liberty of regurgitating the Galway senators’ record, just in case you missed it.

It’ll come in handy if they come looking for your vote again.

Ballinasloe’s Fine Gael senator Michael Mullins was top of the class. He missed six votes and was present for 201 (97%).

Next came Labour’s lovely Lorraine Higgins with an above average 88% voting record; she missed 35 and was present for 182.

FG’s now independent rebel Fidelma Healy Eames of Oranmore missed 51 votes and was present for 156; so at 75% was on a par with the average for her colleagues.

Sinn Féin’s Connemara-based Trevor Ó Clochartaigh was below average, at 71%, as láthair for 59 votes and on hand for just 148.

Ronan Mullen, of Ahascragh, has the worst voting record of the Galway contingent. He managed to vote just 50% of the time; 104 missed, and 103 present.