Coalition loses 3 TDs in battle over stag ban

THE Government has lost three TDs in a bitter battle to force a Green Party wildlife bill through the Dáil before the summer break.

Tipperary South TD Mattie McGrath was expelled from the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party after he initially voted against the law to outlaw stag hunting.

Two independent TDs who previously supported the Government, Michael Lowry and Jackie Healy Rae, also opposed the Government chief whip John Curran. He had explained the seriousness of their actions and will meet them today about their status.

Fianna Fáil backbencher Christy O’Sullivan will have to provide Mr Curran with answers after he abstained from the initial procedural vote but, after brow beating by his colleagues, relented for the crucial final ballot.

Mr Curran said the rules of the parliamentary party were laid out clearly to Mr McGrath in advance of his decision and his actions caused an automatic expulsion.

Mr McGrath voted against the bill in the standard electronic vote but minutes later abstained when Fine Gael whip Paul Kehoe demanded an old-fashioned paper based walk-through vote.

Mr McGrath said the senior coalition party had been bullied by the Green Party.

“The Green manifesto I’ve seen it, I’ve been on radio shows with some of the Green people and they want to close the zoo, they want to stop horse racing, they want to stop even the pussy cat going after the mouse. It’s time we called a halt here. It’s a joke,” Mr McGrath said.

Rural lobby groups gathered outside the Dáil while others filled the Dáil gallery and had to be scolded for cheering when opposition deputies spoke against the bill.

The Government won the first electronic vote, in which Mr McGrath voted against his party, 75 to 72.

This was only possible because the opposition had problems of its own.

Sinn Féin’s Arthur Morgan was suspended from the Dáil two hours earlier in a row over hospital services in Louth. Labour’s Michael D Higgins was absent on medical grounds. His colleague, Tommy Broughan, was kicked out of his parliamentary party for failing to turn up.

Labour whip Emmet Stagg wrote to Mr Broughan last night and said after his abstention on the Criminal Justice Bill, the second AWOL was unacceptable. Mr Broughan did not comment.

The tightness of the vote has forced the Green Party into key concessions on its other trophy legislation, the Dog Breeding Bill, which will be voted on next week.

Deputy chief whip John Cregan signalled there would be significant amendments. It is now likely greyhounds will be exempt from the redrafted bill.