World of Politics with Harry McGee

The world may be on the verge of ruin, but the Dáil has more important fish to fry this week, namely the exposé of the secret ‘deal’ made between Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Michael Lowry’s band of regional Independents.

The Dáil has been in sclerosis for two months because of a circular row over speaking rights. It has put all other business in abeyance: the formation of committees, new legislation, probing of issues like housing and excessive State spending.

Last week we saw a replay of the unsavoury tunnel brawl that had led to the abandonment of Micheál Martin’s election as Taoiseach on January 22nd. The shouting and roaring in the Dáil reached the decibel levels of a Motorhead concert, with Pearse Doherty playing the role of Lemmy.

Independent TD Paul Gogarty described what fell out as “semi-feral”. He has some form in the matter. Fifteen years ago he turned to Labour TD Emmet Stagg and said: “F*** you Deputy Stagg”. If Gogarty thought last week was very bad, it was very, very bad.

Both sides called each other a disgrace. The Government parties accused the Opposition of “faux outrage” and using the whole controversy over speaking time as a battering ram. The Opposition said it was the Government’s fault, that it had done a “grubby deal” with the group led by Michael Lowry, a TD of whom a Tribunal reported had made and received corrupt payments.

Both sides spent a long time ostensibly trying to find a solution (I don’t believe either side believed the other side was going to shift at all). The Government parties called a halt to it and tabled a motion that would allow the rule change (or change to Standing Orders) to occur.

A new group called ‘Other TDs’ would be recognised and that would get eight minutes of speaking time twice a week. It would be made up of the six TDs in Lowry’s group as well as the back bench TDs from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.

The unusual thing about the Lowry group is that it’s made up of six TDs, three of whom support the Government (Lowry, Barry Heneghan, and Gillian Toole) and three who don’t (Mattie McGrath, Carole Nolan and former Social Democrats TD Eoin Hayes).

If they were in the House of Lords the group would be a kind of “cross benchers” group.

Pictured: Verona Murphy: It was always inevitable that the motion of confidence in the Ceann Comhairle would be passed.