Dáil dithers after shepherd fails to gather flock

At 10.39am, a panicked text was sent out with an URGENT catchline.

Ten minutes after the Dáil was due to start, just two Fine Gael members were in the chamber — Limerick’s Tom Neville, and minister of state David Stanton, who had to be there to bring forward legislation.

A last minute text was sent out in a bid to drum up a few more Fine Gael TDs to meet the quorum of 20. “URGENT: Please attend the Chamber NOW or business will collapse,” it read.