Political upheaval - New broom must sweep party clean

WHAT an appalling mess this country of ours is in — a dysfunctional and powerless minority Government surviving under what can only be described as political blackmail and an ineffective Taoiseach hanging on after losing the leadership of his party.

That unedifying spectacle was manifest in Leinster House yesterday when the second stage of the Finance Bill was passed with the help of Independent TDs, Michael Lowry and Jackie Healy Rae. Defeat would have ended this dreadful Government and triggered an immediate general election.

Having negotiated shoddy deals based on narrow self-interest involving their own constituencies, the two politicians have extracted further concessions, albeit of wider significance, including a welcome decision allowing parents to off-set college fees against tax liabilities.

Though political power is inevitably based on numbers, there is something fundamentally wrong when parliamentary democracy is held to ransom in this manner. It suggests there is a something rotten about an administration that clings to power at the cost of sacrificing its policies and principles, if indeed they can be called principles when they are so easily jettisoned.

This is precisely the unacceptable brand of nod-and-wink politics largely responsible for bringing the country to its present parlous state, infuriating a public sick to the teeth of deals being done behind closed doors to save the skins of feckless politicians.

Politically, the growing sense of outrage will echo on the cobblestones of Dublin today when eight determined men converge on Dáil Éireann after walking from Kilmacow, Co Kilkenny. There could hardly be a more eloquent or effective expression of indignation than this form of direct action, a protest that is purely personal and non-party-political, over the lack of governance and justice which has poisoned the ethos of a country where higher standards once prevailed.

The irony of yesterday’s debate on the Finance Bill is that Fine Gael and Labour, which have conflicting financial policies, will be pleased to see it passed by a party unlikely to regain power for some time to come. In the election campaign they can blame Fianna Fáil and the Greens for the hardship being suffered by decent, law abiding, tax compliant people.

Yet, given our penchant as voters to sail wherever warm winds blow, not to mention our collective amnesia in the face of juicy offers, it might be tempting fate to view the predicted annihilation of Fianna Fáil as a long-term scenario.

The ink is barely dry on the provisions of the Finance Bill and already warnings are being sounded that it could be riddled with loopholes. Inevitably, legislation hastily cobbled together ends up in the courts. It should certainly not be the bedrock on which a government not fit for purpose has been trying to cling to power for its own political ends.

Legislation of such importance, crucial for Ireland’s recovery, should not be rushed through the Dáil. This applies particularly to legislation that threatens to impoverish a large swathe of Irish society in order to repay the EU/IMF bailout in an economic crisis caused by naked greed.

As he assumes the leadership of Fianna Fáil and sets out to rebuild the organisation, Micheál Martin will no doubt keep in mind that the party failed because ethical standards were thrown overboard some time ago when it got into bed with unregulated bankers and greedy developers. He will be seen as a new broom.