Dáil fiasco - Is it any wonder we are cynical?
No doubt, the Taoiseach was flushed with victory after winning the confidence motion in his leadership of Fianna Fáil when he uttered these words in the Dáil yesterday.
Perhaps that explains the mocking tone of banter in ruling out Government time for a Labour Party motion of no confidence in the Government, observing that even Fine Gael thought it was “stupid”.
But is this how the business of the Dáil should be conducted? Surely not. Levity is one thing but what message does such a low level of debate send out from a parliament elected by democratic process to represent and legislate for the people of Ireland? If ever there was an argument for reform of the Dáil in terms of its structures, how long it sits and how issues are discussed, we heard it yesterday.
Long gone are the days when parliament echoed to fine oratory and issues of national importance were debated as if the common good rather than small political advantage was what mattered. Instead, it has become a bear pit, a place where politicians engage in slinging mud at one another across the floor of the House.
Dáil Éireann is a comfortable members’ club that sits for as little time as possible, where the doctrine of public service has given ground to private gain, where the habitués have long holidays and are handsomely paid, with the added bonus of generous perks and pensions.
His defenders may argue the Taoiseach was merely playing to the gallery, giving the opposition a dig in the ribs, so to speak. But there is no denying his words were redolent of Ballymagash, Frank Hall’s biting satire of parish-pump council meetings that portrayed a ‘begob and begorrah’ image of stage-Irish politics.
With the country mired in crisis, we have never needed strong leadership more than we need it now. What does it say about Ireland if the leader of the country is perceived as having such disdain for the seat of parliament that he thinks it worth coming in for “half an hour” to taunt the opposing parties during Leaders Questions?
Today’s politicians resort to point-scoring and sniping rather than taking contrary viewpoints on board and combining them in the formulation of policies designed to help the country get out of its present predicament with self-respect and self-believe relatively undamaged and the structures of society intact.
What does it say of our political system if in their efforts to hold the government of the day accountable, opposition deputies are met with jeers and insults? It depicts a certain mindset that has infected the political system from top to bottom. Indeed, it is questionable if the leader of the next government will be able to resist the urge to similarly bait his opponents.
Is it any wonder the public have grown cynical of politics and politicians are held in such low regard? For people to believe in the Dáil again they need to see that politicians really stand for something meaningful and have a vision that goes beyond merely getting themselves back into office and clinging to power at all costs.
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