Dáil marathon - Parliament demeaned

Irrespective of the issue involved, the notion of the Dáil sitting until five o’clock in the morning to deal with peacetime legislation seems utterly bizarre and dysfunctional.

The sitting that began on Wednesday evening and ran until well after dawn yesterday morning cannot have served effective debate or even rational consideration of the legislation at hand. That this legislation has had a gestation period of 21 years made the entire episode even more farcical.

It is understandable if criticism dealing with this circus focused on the Government, but the reality is that nearly every party in the house must share the blame. However, this latest outbreak of buffoonery means the promises made around Dáil reform must return to centre stage of our political life.