While the forums regular Green bashers are taking the opportunity to give the big stick a solid workout over this fairly minor issue. The same people turn a blind eye to the incompetent pair with real power, Turnbull and Abbott who are going at each other like a couple of petulant school brats, whilst Australia goes down the gurgler.

Well done fellas!

".... or entitled to the rights or privileges of a subject or citizen of a foreign power: or ...."

and that is the catch for MsP who have relevant Irish ancestors, who knows how many may be caught in that net?

Are there other countries that have the same, or similar, Constitutional provisions to those of the Republic of Ireland?

Paul,

Your last post is a typical Green 'Red Herring' (and by the time they turn green they're really on the nose.

Did anyone tell Ludlum about the Ghangre Org petition?
I remember when it came up, but took no notice of it; I can't believe that the Senator (as he was) didn't hear about the petition, therefore he dismissed it out of hand [rather stupid] or he checked his status, lied. and now owes the Australian Taxpayers a swag of money.

Paul,

If the Greens losing their 2 deputy leaders to staggering incompetence is a minor issue, what is a major issue?

Issy, even though I am a Green, I actually have no sympathy for these guys. Rough and tumble of politics, you win some, you lose some. and move on. I seen them as a worthy pair of senators doing a good job in my view. Not worth much if you get kicked out, or fall on your own sward. Looks like Abetz manged to get away with it, so what.

You know what I'm like when it comes to politics, I have strong views on most thing, but I'm pragmatic enough to realize what's the real world is like.

Both the Greens senators should really be ashamed of themselves. I am not inclined to offer a single excuse for them. Their negligence has been both disruptive and made a direct mockery of our democracy. Who knows what the vote might have been without these two leading the Senate ballot in their respective states.

Am I biased? Probably. Both the Greens and Labour are very much on the nose for me at the moment given their politicking over Turnbull's Gonski funding.

However we then I read this in our constitution; “Is under any acknowledgment of allegiance, obedience, or adherence to a foreign power” the only person I think of is Abbott. To be giving a knighthood to Prince Phillip despite common sense speaks to an allegiance for his old country that is hard to put excuse.

In truth though that is small change compared to those so called Australians like Hasbeen and Shadow Minister who have show a great willingness to support multinationals over ordinary, sovereign Australians. They have scoffed at moves to secure a fair share of our resource wealth, they have campaigned against a very reasonable super profits tax, and railed against any attempt to secure gas supplies at anything other than full cost.

They might not show an allegiance to a foreign power as such but they certainly are not supporting ordinary Australians. Whatever I may think about the incompetence of the Green's senators I do not challenge their commitment to this country. This is not the case with these two.