It isn’t Ming’s stunt that makes us despair of the Dáil

THE opposition stormed out of the Dáil — nobody noticed. The stunt, which was to protest the Government’s habit of railroading legislation through the Oireachtas only drew mild attention because it followed a TD’s bid to get a minister to drink contaminated water during a rowdy debate on the introduction of metering.

Publicity-seeking machine, and TD for Roscommon-South Leitrim, Ming Flanagan held up the water and said it was the “glorified piss” his constituents were expected to drink — and would soon be forced to pay for.

Flanagan then plonked the offending liquid down in front of junior environment minister Fergus O’Dowd and implored him to drink it.