Dáil debacle - Taoiseach’s final session in firing line

The Dáil cut short its normal Christmas and New Year’s break to re-assemble yesterday in what should be the last session of the current assembly.

We are obviously in the run-in to the next general election, and there will inevitably be a high degree of political posturing.

The Green Party previously insisted that it would force an election to be called by the end of this month, but it would seem that this is now being extended somewhat so that they can get some of their own specific legislation through — such as the Climate Change Bill, the bill providing for the direct election of the Lord Mayor of Dublin, new legislation on corporate donations, and the Environment (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill to introduce levies on waste incineration.

Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny claimed that the Government’s only agenda is to prolong their hold on power. By holding out for such legislation, on the other hand, the Greens are giving the impression of engaging in a form of political blackmail.

Since the disclosures of last weekend there was considerable anticipation about the explanation that the Taoiseach would provide in the Dáil concerning his telephone call from Seán FitzPatrick of Anglo Irish Bank in March 2008, and his meetings with him between then and the end of July. In view of the importance of the occasion one would have expected a strong show of support, especially among Fianna Fáil deputies.

There was, indeed, a strong turnout of Fianna Fáil members of the Government for Taoiseach’s Questions in the Dáil, but there were ominous empty seats on the backbenches. The Green Party leader John Gormley was conspicuous by his absence. The overall turnout and the response to the Taoiseach’s explanation fell way short of a resounding show of support.

In answer to questions from the opposition, the Taoiseach stressed that the members of the Government did what they did with the best of motives.

“Hindsight is a great thing,” he said. Anglo Irish Bank would have collapsed if the Government had not provided the bank guarantee, but the other Irish banks would then have been brought down as well, so the Taoiseach vigorously defended the bank guarantee in the circumstances.

He repeatedly stressed he did not discuss the bank’s troubles with Mr FitzPatrick either during the round of golf or during their dinner afterwards.

The Taoiseach complained of an “absurd conspiracy theory” about his contacts with Mr FitzPatrick. Mr Cowen insisted that he “acted appropriately at all times”. Nobody has any right to assume differently in the absence of contrary evidence, he said.

At the time of the golf game, Anglo Irish Bank was known to be in deep financial trouble. Labour Party leader Eamon Gilmore indicated that he would have understood Mr Cowen raising the issue with Mr FitzPatrick, but he actually found it more surprising that the Taoiseach had not done so.