Labour welcomes resignation statement

LABOUR welcomed the late night announcement that John O’Donoghue is to resign from the position of Ceann Comhairle having cornered him into doing so by proposing a motion of no-confidence.

Just hours before the anticipated statement of the Ceann Comhairle’s intention to quit, Labour leader, Eamon Gilmore, said: “I believe John O’Donoghue has done a very good job and a very fair job as Ceann Comhairle and I wish it had been possible to do it differently.”

Mr Gilmore had earlier kick-started the evening’s dramatic events by telling a stunned Dáil that Mr O’Donoghue’s should step down: “I regret to say this but I consider your position is no longer tenable. I think you will either have to resign or I think you will have to be removed from office,” he said as the Ceann Comhairle stared back at him expressionless.

Mr Gilmore later revealed that he had privately told Mr O’Donoghue of his intention to raise the issue in the Dáil. He said it was a tough decision. “There is no political advantage in this at all. It is something that I found very difficult to do. It’s a sad day,” Mr Gilmore said.

Following hours of rumours and speculation about Mr O’Donoghue’s intentions, a statement just after 10:30 last night said: “The Ceann Comhairle has announced that he will resign his position next week when he will make a statement to the House.”

Fine Gael leader, Enda Kenny, insisted he did not “lack any bottle” after allowing the Labour Party to take the lead and only calling for Mr O’Donoghue’s resignation after Sinn Féin and Labour had done so.

Mr Kenny said he had hoped the Ceann Comhairle would have the opportunity to explain himself at a meeting of the Houses of the Oireachtas Commission, due to take place this evening.

“I think I’m a fair-minded person and in any circumstances I believe in giving people the opportunity to have their say. As the Ceann Comhairle is the chair of the Oireachtas Commission, I felt it fair that he should have the opportunity to go before that commission and live up to the recommendations I had made in saying that he would have to consider his position otherwise. Circumstances have changed dramatically since,” said Mr Kenny.

Labour said the commission, which has just nine TDs and Senators as its members, was not the place to address the matter.

“This had gone beyond the point where it could be dealt with by making statements in private to what is, after all, an in-house committee that deals with in-house administrative matters,” said Mr Gilmore.

Sinn Féin claim they pushed the Labour Party into their decision. Sinn Féin’s Dáil leader, Caoimhghín O Caoláin, was the first to call for Mr O’Donoghue’s resignation yesterday morning. Because his party does not have the numbers to table a no-confidence motion, he called on either Labour or Fine Gael to do so.

Brian Cowen, criticised the manner in which the issue was raised by Mr Gilmore in the Dáil, during the time allocated for questions to the Taoiseach. Mr Cowen expressed “great regret that the matter has been brought to the House this way”, but did not use the opportunity to express his confidence in the chair.