Coalition taken to the wire in Dáil writ vote
It happened after Sinn Féin moved the writ yesterday for Donegal South-West, one of three Dáil constituencies in which seats are currently vacant because of resignations.
The by-elections pose a major risk to the Government because, based on current support levels, it would lose all three, thereby reducing its already narrow majority in the Dáil.
As a result, it is anxious to hold off the by-elections for as long as possible and, therefore, voted against the Sinn Féin motion yesterday.
It was expected that the Government would defeat the motion comfortably, but because of absences, it could only tie with the opposition at 76 votes apiece.
The Ceann Comhairle then cast his vote in favour of the Government, thereby defeating the motion, meaning no by-election will be held in the immediate future.
It is the second time this year the Government has had to rely on the Ceann Comhairle to win a vote.
Sinn Féin’s Dáil leader Caoimhghín O Caoláin said the vote demonstrated that the Government was “politically bankrupt”.
“This Government has had to rely on the Ceann Comhairle to block the right of the people of Donegal South-West to full Dáil representation and to prevent a by-election,” he said. “This Government is shameless in its attitude and shameful in its actions. It is politically bankrupt and its mandate is exhausted. It should do the decent thing and resign.”
Labour leader Eamon Gilmore claimed the Taoiseach simply didn’t have “the bottle” to hold the by-elections.
“I have rarely seen any Taoiseach or a head of any Government anywhere running so scared of the public as the Taoiseach is now,” Mr Gilmore said. “Donegal has been down a TD since June 8 last, some 11 months. Dublin South has been down a TD for 14 of the past 22 months, and Waterford has been a short a TD since the former minister, Martin Cullen, resigned on March 8 [this year].
“People in these constituencies... have a right to have their full representation in Dáil Éireann.”
The vacancy in Donegal was caused by the resignation of Pat the Cope Gallagher from the Dáil last year following his election as an MEP. The vacancy in Dublin South was caused by the resignation of Fine Gael TD George Lee this year.
