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LAST UPDATE | 26 Mar
FOR A MEMBER of the Dáil to be sanctioned for breaching the Oireachtas of code of conduct, another TD would first have to make a formal complaint, a spokesperson for the Oireachtas has said.
It is understood that no TD has been sanctioned in at least the last two decades for breaking the values outlined in the Oireachtas code of conduct, with TDs opting instead to withdraw remarks or apologise for particular actions.
Independent TD for Tipperary North Michael Lowry is in the spotlight for making a two-fingered gesture towards People Before Profit’s Paul Murphy, who was using his phone to film inside the Dáil yesterday.
Elected representatives are subject to a code of conduct that details how they present themselves in and deliver their contributions to the Dáil.
The document gives guidance to TDs on things such as offensive language and dress code.
Unlike standing orders, which are formal rules around the operation of the Dáil’s business, the code acts as a basic and common “set of values” that TDs are expected to uphold and respect while inside the chamber.
It gives the Ceann Comhairle responsibility for upholding order in the House and the right to consult parliamentary officials for guidance at times. It also stops TDs from crossing over the Dáil floor or across the chair when another member is speaking.
The tenth rule states that interference from mobile phones is a “discourtesy” to other members and distracts from the Dáil’s business. It rules that any phone brought into the chamber must be switched off or silent.
The twelfth rule makes references to threatening and offensive language and also outlines that “personal attacks, insults, obscenities, and expletives” are not considered orderly.
During Leaders’ Questions today, a number of TDs remarked on the video taken by Paul Murphy in the Dáil and the “two fingers” that Lowry was seen holding up towards the camera.
The Taoiseach equally condemned both politician’s actions today.
“Anybody who uses two fingers in this House to another person is wrong and that person should apologise,” he said. “That would apply to Deputy Lowry.”
“Equally, the opposition should face up and acknowledge that any deputy waving cameras in the face of other deputies is wrong and was never a part and parcel of Leinster House.”
The use of mobile phones inside the chamber is against order but it is routinely not adhered to as ringtones can frequently be heard throughout daily proceedings.
In recent years, the use of camera phones by TDs in the Dáil has also become more accepted.
Murphy has stated that he will not apologise for using his phone in the Dáil, arguing that the public have a right to know what takes place inside the chamber.
Lowry, however, released a statement today, in which he said that his gesture “was not made with malicious intent”.
The independent politician did not apologise for the action and described it as “an errant gesture under provocation”.
He added: “Unfortunately, the gesture has been taken out of context. Unlike others, I have always respected the rules and values of the Dáil. My gesture was not intended to be offensive or to cause any offence, and I regret that it may have been seen in such a way.”
For any TD to be sanctioned for their actions inside the chamber, a member must file a complaint about the behavior which will then be considered by the relevant committee, a spokesperson for the Oireachtas told The Journal.
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@Patrick Fitzgibbon:
He should have given that clown
@Patrick Fitzgibbon: This is a case of “got you”. Videoing in the Dail is illegal and the ambiguous gesture was a smart thing to expose videoing and it worked. Suspension should follow.
@thomas molloy: Which of them.
One was clearly breaching rules by video recording. The other made a gesture that is somewhat unclear, particularly when it is a srill photo from a video recording.
@Thomas Sheridan: look at the video…. It’ll seem a wee bit clearer for you.
@Patrick Fitzgibbon: Why stop with Two fingers why not a bunch of Fives, plus a Red Card for the use of a phone camera to Video in the Dáil.
@thomas molloy: “videoing in the Dáil is illegal” – where did you come up with that beaut!? It’s not a courtroom. We even have an Oireachtas channel that provides a live feed.
That scrote Murphy needs to be held to account for videoing in the dail
@Mike Doe: That would be good. He deserves everything he gets. Ask Joan Burton!!
He wasn’t sanctioned for taking a bribe off Denis O’Brien for the mobile license. So doubt they will now.
This pårásïtìc muppet should be removed from the dail and his pension also should be nullified , crooks like him should not be allowed in the government who is also working against the democracy of the state.
@Lei tatt: Tipp heads love him though
@Lei tatt: Murphy or Lowry ?
@Lei tatt: an example should be made to remind all of them.
@Lei tatt: ya and his phone confiscated as well. Lowry probably deserves disciplinary measures as well
@Lei tatt: Problem here is Martin and Harris are so desperate to stay in power they will sell out to this gurrier.
@Dr Albert S Meinheimer: That remains to be seen now that he he has been shown publicly in his true form. This Gov’t is built on a dodgy conspiracy with the Indies, which wont stand repeated quakes indefinitely.
@anthony davoren: was it an esat digi phone ?
@anthony davoren: Sure the majority of them spend their time in the Dáil with their heads down txting !
@Dr Albert S Meinheimer: yes iam from where he lives and they will vote for him no matter what sad times and he is vindictive
@Lei tatt:
He only videoed the man calm down.
Heard a gov rep on the radio this evening defending the Lowry government, same guy was involved in his own dodgy practising not too long ago..
We have the worst of the worst put together with this government.
I totally misinterpreted his gesture, I thought he was ordering 2 pints!
Can he be sanctioned for taking bribes
What a weezel of a chap! If he’d any integrity, he’d back down from that position. Not in it for the love of serving the public, is he?
Put the cuffs on him, disgraceful carry on for elected member of the government of the island of Ireland.
The leech Lowry. An odious individual.
@Daniel Gilroy: Absolutely
Mr Lowry should apologise unreservedly to the Dáil and to the people of Ireland for his obscene gesture. Such actions reflect negatively on the people of North Tipperary and could be interpreted in bad faith.
He has more to loose than his pride. G.I.P.S. Build it anywhere. Nothing is guaranteed. You have till the close of business on Friday Mr Lowry.
@Séamas Mac Cárthaigh: obscene?? You must live a very sheltered life if you class someone sticking up their two fingers obscene.
@Andrew Speers:
We the people expect the highest of standards from our elected officials.
Dáil Érieann is the people’s chamber not the political parties. If you can’t respect the chamber then you have no respect for the people you claim to represent.
As for living a sheltered life, I try my best but alas, I inevitably have to deal with people such as yourself. It’s a world of fools out there.
Here’s an idea can we sanction him for the serious stuff he has done in his life . Can we also sanction the people who continue to vote for him? Paul Murphy is not a serious politician, he’s a populist, Lowry has sinned far more grievously than this
@dermot Berry: I think you’re being too charitable towards Paul Murphy, I think he’s a gob$hite!
@Brian Hunt:Well said,he’s a p#r#site,a w#ster,and a top shelf f**l,who loves the sound of his own pesky voice.
This sort of carry on with MM and Lowry no government, and now serious issues, heading this way from the USA famine ancestors weep.
Says a lot about an area when a 72 year old gets voted in.
@Thesaltyurchin: Wow agest much?
@Thesaltyurchin: What has age got to do with it, you are obviously either immature or pure thick with your ageist comment. Hope you make a good snack for a hungry crab !
The great big SELL OUT!!
That man should be thrown out entirely. A despicable individual
@Richard Starling: He’s laughing at an entire nation. Priceless.
@Thesaltyurchin: I agree with you fully.
The men & women of 1916 would turn in there graves looking at this sorry state thé died for.. shame on ye so called politics… so sad
The man’s been on the make for far too long. He’s a bad egg that gives politics a grubby reputation.
@ian: very accurate description of Paul Murphy
Paul Murphy has been given the two fingers to the country for years, with his water protests and his incitement to the crowd that attacked Joan Burton. He is not to be trusted.
Talk about a storm in a teacup. How much more mileage can the media & Paul Murphy drag outta this nothingness
. All of us who got up this morning & put in a solid shift/ a hard day’s graft must be bemused that this is where our tax euros is going
@Mary Linton: Solid shift / hard day’s graft? I don’t think posting morning, noon and night on The Journal counts, so you haven’t a leg to stand on.
@Diarmuid Hunt: hi there brenny, I like your profile on trustpilot…..” head of trolling “….. have me a good giggle
@Mary Linton: haha Mary, that’s excellent, was wondering what brenny was up to nowadays
@Buster Lawless: His name might change, but the inane bilge is the same!
Brenny is transitioning lol
Can’t stand Lowry but anyone who sticks an unwelcome phone in my face gets the exact same gesture. No time for it.
@Louis Jacob: It wasn’t “in his face”. It was sweeping around the room
@Louis Jacob: exactly
@Louis Jacob: well said
Paul Murphy – the man who ruined one of the biggest days in the lives of a group of people in 2nd chance education who were due to get their graduation certificates that day in west Tallaght.
For someone who claims to speak on behalf of the less privileged his conscience – if he has such a thing – went missing that day.
Or maybe he has a problem with people bettering their lives through effort and hard work.
@Gerry Kelly: I really hope karma pays him a visit
I blame all the muppets that continually vote for that crook.
@aidan bergin: Murphy?
Someone needs to wipe the sneer off this gits ugly face. I will volunteer to give him the first kicking.Shows the character of Tipp people reelecting this criminal slug to the Dáil.
@Gerry Lamont: he looks like Rodge and Podge’s long lost sleazy brother.
Lowry was wrong but I can’t stand Murphy, a thug who also has a reputation as a anti rural and remember what him and his colleagues done to Joan Burton, also should be suspended for using a camera phone in the Dail
@John Hally: Murphy was found not guilty in court for false imprisonment or have you forgotten?
@John Hally: well said, lock him up
We need another election
He should be commended
How about sanctioning Paul Murphy? He’s the one that shoved a camera into Michael Lowry’s face while insulting him. People need to live in the real world. If you do this to someone, they’re not going to just sit there with a blank expression and accept it. Lowry rightly showed that Marxist clown Murphy the two fingers. I would have done the exact same thing and I’d say that’s the case of the vast majority of people in Ireland who simply don’t appreciate incessant harassment.
@William Jennings: he did not shove the phone in his face, he was standing across the chamber from him.
@William Jennings: defending Lowry is not a good look
@lesidees: He took his phone out and starting leaning into to Lowry while insulting him. He was not standing across the chamber from Lowry, he was literally in the next row of seats under him. I’m not a huge fan of Lowry myself and he’s probably a crook. However, a dead corpse would make a better TD than Paul Murphy. He’s disgraced himself on countless occasions. I don’t remember Michael Lowry praising Hamas, denying that Bashar Al-Assad gassed his own people with chemical weapons, refusing to clap for Volodymyr Zelensky after he thanked the Irish people for their support and blocked a TD (Joan Burton) from exiting her car while verbally abusing her among other things. Paul Murphy is a real piece of work and a nasty individual.
@William Jennings: have you seen the footage? Leaning into Lowry?
Of the only way you can defend Lowry is to criticise Murphy the case for the defence is not very strong.
@William Jennings: cop on and look at the video ,he was the other side of the chamber
@lesidees: I have seen the footage. He’s literally one row down from Lowry and starts leaning the phone into Lowry while insulting him. It was a disgraceful act of unparliamentary behaviour from Murphy and he should be sanctioned. You’re not even allowed to take out your phone in the first place while in the Dáil! This is clearly laid out in the Dáil rulebook which Murphy blatantly broke.
@Mark Sheehan: Why don’t you cop on? Paul Murphy was one row down from Michael Lowry when he starts recording Lowry without his permission while insulting him. I’m not going to stand for Marxist lawbreakers trying to undermine decorum within the Dáil because they don’t respect democratic checks and balances.
@lesidees: exactly. Also, if the gesture had not been recorded Lowry would have lied and said that he didn’t do it & MM would have backed him.
@William Jennings: well said, Murphy needs locking up a total sk umbag
The journal editor could do with a bit of balance Murphy used his phone within the Dail chamber against all the rules but this guy is a shocking individual anyway himself and Lowry are well matched
@Tim Brennan: about time you said something positive, good man Timmy, the lads will be proud of yeh.
It’s going to be very ( hard) for viagra.
is their a connection between x fffg leak and x goverment advisor christian type that got done for underage offence!!!just to leak ye know
Two tramps, unfortunately one tramp has the government over a barrel.
Sanctioned for the 2 fingers but now for the kick backs…..couldn’t make this up!
Are photos Allowed to be Taken in The Chamber if not? Who is wrong????
An Paul Murphy be sanctioned for videoing in the Dail. Muppet
@Peter Roche: Yep absolutely correct
Their talents reside more in the ABBEY THEATRE orGAIETY than in a national parlaiment.
sinn fein and other oppasition are doing corupt fffg traitors dirty bidding with distracting fronm real issues ,2 ipas centers giving green light in thurles in last 2 weeks but cancelled at this weekend with negative feedback lowry knowing that yesterday was on horizon then ,ireland the land of snakes and broken ladders
@jn: we need fewer scammigrints, not more 4☆ accommodation for them.
@jn:
This is a big distraction by Sinn Fein to cover up for the two members who are under investigation by the Gardai for Fraud.
Taking out a phone to record others is a sc**bag action which is exactly what Murphy is.
Can every single td be replaced with a two year old child. Toddlers have more intelligence.
One, will be making a Statement, where the last one was made, it will be made as soon as possible, that should benefit everyone!
Absolutely not, sure the rules,varese there to be broken aren’t they!
A wealthy liar and cheat, answerable to no one.
One of many unfortunately
@SOCOMJON:
But the people of Tallaght continue to vote Murphy back in?
Sack him
Will somebody punch that fupper in the face please.
Murphy is just a thug
I don’t what all the fuss about lowry is,all he was doing was saying that tipperary to win by two in the league final
Both should be reprimanded, end of. The real business of the day should be centred around the fact that the government is trying to undermine the nature of our democratic system and this corrupt man with the two finger salute is right at the heart of it. Government members shouldn’t be on the opposition benches- how is that so hard to comprehend??
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