31st Dáil - National interest is paramount

STABLE government was an election demand on the lips of voters in every corner of Ireland and the first step towards delivering that rare attribute will be taken in Dáil Éireann today when Deputy Enda Kenny becomes Taoiseach and leader of a Fine Gael-Labour coalition with a thumping majority at his command.

A TD who himself languished on the opposition benches for most of the longest political career in the Dáil, Mr Kenny is acutely aware that holding government to account is a central plank of democracy. However, as he assumes power, there is a perceived risk that with Fine Gael and Labour holding such an overwhelming majority, the opposition could be deliberately stifled.

That would be a grave error of judgment. Notwithstanding their desire for stability, the Irish people have elected so many independents, it is patently obvious they want them to have a meaningful say in the future of a country where the banks are on the brink and the economy is in crisis.

The electorate expects the opposition, including a humiliated Fianna Fáil, a rising Sinn Féin and a disparate array of independents, to fulfil a vital role on the floor of the 31st Dáil. This gives added relevance to the 16-strong technical group formed yesterday, combining left and right, but excluding three of the elected Independents, with the expressed aim of giving an effective voice to minority representatives.

Unlike his counterpart in the British House of Commons, the chair of the Dáil has virtually no power to give opposition TDs a fair crack of the whip. But within the technical group, speaking rights on priority issues are now assured for three rotating spokesmen (Deputies Finian McGrath, Shane Ross and Joe Higgins) a blatantly unfair restriction that ought to be changed.

It is essential that Independents use the time of the House positively. While local issues are important, too much is at stake for parliament to be used solely for parish pump politics to boost a TD’s constituency profile. This is no time for narrow NIMBYism.

Fortunately, the sheer size of the incoming Government effectively rules out any repeat of the shameful blackmailing tactics witnessed in the dying days of the last coalition when Fianna Fáil peddled what little remained of their dignity by selling out to a handful of Independents in a desperate bid to hold onto power.

With the nation in such a parlous position, the Government and opposition must direct all their energy towards the common objective of getting the country out of recession and back to work. That means creating jobs for tens of thousands of people trapped in a nightmare scenario of long-term unemployment and also to bring home thousands more who have emigrated to find work in other countries.

By using their mandate properly, a formidable opposition can fulfil the dual objective of pressurising Government, thus holding it to account, while at the same working as politicians with the bounden duty and clear vision to see Ireland’s future from a national perspective.