Dáil reform will be needed to hold new government to account

ON observing the results of an opinion poll, Spike Milligan once remarked: “One day, the don’t knows will get in, and then where will we be?”

His answer probably lies in the incoming Dáil which will be composed of a disparate array of independents and “others” who will form a significant part of the opposition with a strengthened Sinn Féin and diminished Fianna Fáil.

How these independent TDs organise themselves will be crucial to the next Dáil where a formidable opposition will be needed more than ever to hold the 110-seat coalition to account.