Destructive opposition is of benefit to no one

With a few notableexceptions, the quality ofopposition currently being provided in the Dáil is nothing short of disgraceful.

To be a true opposition surely it is necessary to be constructive and if one opposes something then one needs to be able to put forward viable alternatives? We are not seeing much of that in Ireland at the moment.

It is quite incredible to see Sinn Féin and numerous independents riding high in the opinion polls, purely on the basis of opposing absolutely everything that the Government is doing. The last time Ireland had a responsible opposition was arguably when Alan Dukes pursued the ‘Tallaght Strategy’, which was very good for the country, but which ultimately did serious damage to his political career.