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LAST UPDATE | 27 Feb
THE GOVERNMENT HAS been accused of treating Irish voters like “idiots” and putting an end to cross-party cooperation in the Dáil following the controversial vote to changes Dáil rules last night.
Government put a motion to vote at a meeting of the Dáil Reform Committee yesterday, which will be approved by the Dáil on a later date, to create a special speaking time for what will be known as “Other Members’ Questions”.
This slot will be used by four members of the Regional Independents Group, who the leaders claim are not members of government – despite TDs in the group being a part of Programme for Government negotiations.
Last night’s proposal sought to put an end to the speaking rights row, after members of the opposition protested a decision to award the four TDs – Michael Lowry, Barry Heneghan, Gillian Toole and Danny Healy-Rae – speaking time from the opposition last month.
Today, following last night’s vote, the leaders of the five main opposition parties met and agreed to collectively withdraw pairing arrangements with the government, an informal deal between TDs where if a member is not present in the Dáil, an opposing member abstains from voting to balance out their absence.
The decision is likely to impact voting set to take place when members of government are abroad over the St Patrick’s Day annual engagements. Generally, pairing arrangements cover short-term absences but have been implemented in the case of maternity leave, which has evoked criticism in the past.
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said last night that the actions of Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil were “dangerous, unprecedented, and a clear attempt to turn logic and the rules and functions of the Dáil on their head”.
She added the Government has “gone back on their word” and “unilaterally moved to force through propositions that make a mockery of any notion of accountability in the Dáil”.
During Leaders’ Questions today, the government were accused of putting an end to cross-party cooperation and of breaking promises made to the opposition that the speaking rights row would be resolved in an unilateral agreement.
The vote, opposition TDs said today, was “undemocratic” as it did not provide time for the new rule to be properly debated. Sinn Féin TD Matt Carty accused Tánaiste Simon Harris of treating the public like “idiots”.
“Tánaiste,” Carty said. “Whatever you owe Michael Lowry, you owe more to the Irish people.
“You owe them the right to have a functioning parliament. One the opposition can hold government to account in. And what you have attempted to do is usurp the rights of the opposition – it won’t be tolerated.”
Harris roundly rejected claims by the opposition that the decision made at the Dáil Reform Committee last night was undemocratic. He said the makeup of the committee reflected the government’s majority, which has a mandate from Irish voters.
He said: “What you have done in opposition today is utterly childish.
“Because the idea that, at a time when it has never been more important for government ministers to go abroad and represent this country on trade talks, on tariff talks, on Ukraine, on the Middle East, on issues you say you care about, what have you decided to do? Block the pairs so people can’t travel. Shame on you.”
Later, Harris said that it is his opinion that the opposition has spent too much time on the speaking rights row – claiming that eight minutes, twice a week has been spent to address the matter.
He claimed that government’s decision last night will now allow the Dáil to move forward with the creation and establishment of Oireachtas Joint Committees – which will begin the legislative process on new laws.
Carty said: “Don’t ask people to buy that rubbish. You might treat your own Fine Gael backbenchers as idiots, but you won’t take the Irish people for being idiots.”
Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy requested Carty to withdraw the remark made about the Fine Gael TDs. The Cavan-Monaghan Sinn Féin TD denied her request.
“Considering all the hyperbole about pairs. You and your party has decided to ram through the most undemocratic charade and farce that this Dáil has seen. Don’t expect that the opposition will just sit back and not use our mandate.”
Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon said: “The pretense that this government values cross-party collaboration has been very clearly exposed as a sham.
“Given the chance to work with the opposition on Dáil reform, the government preferred the nuclear option – ramming through its undemocratic proposals on Dáil reform at the 11th hour, all to deliver a grubby little deal for Michael Lowry and his band of independents.”
Gannon said that promises recieved by Harris and Taoiseach Micheál Martin to work across the chamber now “lie in tatters” and reflects their parties’ previous commitments on housing, healthcare, disability and a range of other policy areas.
“Very clearly, the opposition cannot trust this government,” he said.
Harris again rejected assertions that the Dáil Reform Committee vote was undemocratic and criticised members of the opposition’s use of phrases such as “ramming through”. He reiterated that there is a greater need to begin committee and legislative work.
He said: “It is an absolute act of democracy that the people’s representatives come in here and exercise their vote, tá or níl. The absolute arrogance of you (the opposition) on this.”
The Tánaiste’s remark was met with a number of protests in the Dáil. Harris turned to the government back benches and repeated the phrase: “These people have a mandate.”
He added: “We’re going to respect the outcome of the Dáil Reform Committee yesterday. We’ll have a vote next week and move this place forward, in terms of delivering for the people.”
People Before Profit leader Richard Boyd Barrett accused the government of “contempt, arrogance, sleeveen politics, speaking out of both sides of your mouth”.
“That’s what was on display at the Dáil Reform Committee on the part of the government last night,” he told the Dáil this afternoon.
He said that the result of the vote last night is the “mask slipping on the more general approach of the government”. He accused the government of taking the same approach to daily issues that come before the Dáil.
Harris said the opposition was spending too much time on the speaking rights issue, and accused its members of attempting to hijack the topic in an attempt to create promotional, political material on social media and score political points.
“We’re not going to take that anymore. I’m going to speak on behalf of my democratic mandate he said.”
The Opposition leaders have reiterated that they are united in their opposition to this and have said “all options” are on the table in response, including a walkout next week.
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