Insults fly as Tánaiste takes leaders' questions

Rowdy exchanges marred business in the Dáil today as Tánaiste Michael McDowell and Opposition leaders traded political insults.

Mr McDowell branded Labour leader Pat Rabbitte ’a half-minister in a high-chair’ at a previous Cabinet table while accusing Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny of having a bad hair day.

Recalling Mr McDowell’s famous ’One Party Government – No Thanks’ poster, Mr Kenny asked Mr McDowell what he had done in office in the past decade and listed several broken promises in health and crime.

Mr McDowell, deputising for the Taoiseach at Leaders’ Questions, said that he was confident that the voters will take a long hard look at the Opposition and say ’no thanks’ and that Mr Kenny may not be Fine Gael leader thereafter.

He claimed unemployment was 10.6% when Labour leader Pat Rabbitte was ’sitting in the high-chair at the Cabinet table as a half minister’

Ceann Comhairle Dr Rory O’Hanlon threatened to throw Labour whip Emmett Stagg out of the House for accusing Mr McDowell of telling lies.

“I made no allegation,” said Mr Stagg. “What do you mean I have to leave the House?”

He added: “You are being stupid if you don’t mind me saying so.”

Mr McDowell replied: "If the people of Ireland want a demonstration of how poor a government consisting of the Opposition would be, they just have to look at the last performance.

“Arrogance, deceit and incompetence, all rolled up into one.”

The Tánaiste said this year marked a total of 50 years Dáil service by Mr Kenny and Mr Rabbitte and that he had asked people at public meetings if they could name one achievement, and they couldn’t.

“You are a combination not simply of under-achievers, you are have no achievements to your name.”

The minister claimed that Mr Kenny said in a recent RTÉ interview that one of his achievements in office was improving the St Patrick’s Day Parade.

He added: “Well if we have to wait 20 years for that…”

Mr McDowell went on: “I’m loathe to interrupt that babble, but I would say this because I’m follicly-challenged, the deputy is having a bad hair day today.”

Mr Rabbitte said he may have been in the high-chair at Cabinet, but Mr McDowell was going to get ’the high jump’ from his constituents at the forthcoming General Election.

He claimed the UCD graduate was treating the Dáil like a student debating society and urged him to resist the rhetoric and bombast.

Mr Rabbitte attacked the Government’s record on special needs services but Mr McDowell said the Coalition had invested record resources to improve facilities.

The Ceann Comhairle had to shout over the loud exchanges to greet an amused US Congressional delegation led by Richard E Neal, chairman of the Friends of Ireland group in the US Congress.

He added: “I hope that you will find your visit enjoyable, successful and to our mutual benefit.”