Renegade backbenchers fail to put up much of a battle

A SMALL group of isolated deputies made the most decisive votes of their Oireachtas career as the Government squeezed out a majority for its budget and social welfare cuts.

Three independent deputies, the Green Party and renegade Fianna Fáil backbenchers all ignored the bluster of previous weeks and marched in step with the Government whip.

The trend began on Tuesday night and began for the early stages of the Social Welfare bill, which was introduced into the Dáil last night.