Ban boring speeches, says TD

TDs and ministers should be banned from droning on ad nauseum from prepared speeches in the Dáil, a leading young deputy said yesterday.

Ahead of the return of TDs to Leinster House for the autumn session, Fine Gael justice spokesman John Deasy said debates in the Dáil were irrelevant to real life and badly in need of reform.

The first step in reforming Dáil procedures should be a ruling only the Taoiseach and party leaders be allowed to use pre-prepared scripts and the rest only use prompt notes, he said.

Accusing some government backbench TDs of merely reading out scripts written in advance by civil servants or party activists, Mr Deasy said in some cases, they wouldn’t even understand their own speeches.

“If we are supposed to be the 166 legislators in the country, surely we should all be able to stand on our own two feet and speak on an issue,” he said. Admitting he was neither a good orator nor a natural communicator himself, he said politics needed to connect with the electorate and young people in particular.

Today’s proceedings in the Dáil will be dominated by a row over the format of the debate on the Flood Tribunal. Opposition parties say Bertie Ahern must engage in a questions and answers session.

But the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and Tánaiste Mary Harney have rejected accusations they are trying to dodge questions on the appointment of Ray Burke to the cabinet in 1997.

According to Deputy Deasy, the row characterises all that is wrong with the Dáil.

In the past, TDs could only work from notes, yet Mr Deasy cited the recent Nice Treaty debate as a classic example of the mediocre, contrived and pre-ordained proceedings now commonplace in Leinster House.

“You had former MEPs reading off prepared scripts talking about Nice. That is absurd,” he said.

According to the 35-year-old Waterford TD, many TDs are worried about their end of year ratings so feel they need to be seen to be contributing in the chamber and clock up speaking time.

“It has resulted in quantity and not quality. It has resulted in a really boring forum that has become irrelevant,” he said.

Pointing out in the British House of Commons, ministers are required to respond verbatim, he says ministers here were the worst offenders of all as they use pre-prepared statements to avoid awkward questions.

“It’s a delaying tactic. There might be seven questions on their list and they will dwell on the first two to avoid the contentious issues,” he said.