An editorial in Hot Press had, in trenchant terms, opposed the attempt to abolish the second house of parliament. "Have we any reason to believe," editor Niall Stokes asked in The Message, "that the Dáil will go about the work of serving the people any more effectively if a potential mechanism for holding it to account is abolished? The answer has to be ‘no’. Is there any basis for believing this initiative has been taken in a genuine spirit of trying to make the machinery of State more accountable? The answer has to be ‘no’.

"Can we say that the attempt to abolish the Seanad has been properly and deeply considered? No. Has the alternative solution of reform been properly addressed? No. Has the Government allowed the time for full and proper debate, so that people might come to the best possible conclusion in relation to the desirability of shredding the second legislative tier? No."

Hot Press' call for a no vote was mirrored in subsequent contributions from influential Irish Times commentators, Vincent Browne and Fintan O'Toole.

"I knew from the response that The Message had struck a chord," Niall Stokes said after hearing the result. "A lot of people discussed it with me. I had a huge number of of calls and emails. And it was clear to me that the opposition to the change was gathering momentum.

"The polls are supposed to always be right. Well, they got it spectacularly wrong on this one. There are all sorts of reasons to reflect on the insidious nature of their influence on politics; in this instance, they may have bred a level of complacency on the 'yes' side. But either way, the result was the right one in the end."

The question now is – is the Government serious about the issue of reform? And if so, what mechanisms will they use to insure that the Seanad can make a really valuable contribution to the democratic process.

"Minority groups are totally under-represented in the Dáil," Niall Stokes said. "And the likelihood is that they always will be under the current electoral system. So are women. Far from being elitist – which the current Seanad is accused of being – a reformed Seanad could provide a platform for the representation of Travellers, immigrants groups, those who are disabled and so on – as well as the Irish diaspora and people from Northern Ireland. And it could also achieve a better gender balance.

"The people have spoken – they want the Seanad to stay. But everyone is in agreement that reform is essential."