After the police violence witnessed on October 1st in Catalonia over the contested independence referendum, I spoke in the Seanad about the dangers of authoritarianism and the need for Ireland to step up and play it's role as a peace-building nation.
The Government must actively urge the EU to engage in mediation in the region. Europe urgently needs to move beyond the securitisation agenda which has dominated in recent years and re-invest in the work of peace-building, social infrastructure, democracy and dialogue.
I was glad to begin International Women's Day at the World Congress on Women's Mental Health which was hosted by the National Women's Council of Ireland and Trinity College Dublin. The event shone a light on mental health issues affecting women, including the issue of reproductive rights.
As the 25th Seanad convenes today, eleven senators have joined forces to put forward long-delayed reforms to Seanad Éireann and in particular, to radically overhaul how elections to the upper house of the Oireachtas are conducted.