Real world intrudes on the Dáil... briefly

For a brief period yesterday the real world intruded on the 32nd Dáil, writes Michael Clifford

At 10.35am, acting Taoiseach Enda Kenny expressed condolences to the families bereaved in the wake of the Buncrana drownings, and those who had suffered as a result of the Brussels bombings. “It puts things into perspective and context,” he concluded.

He was followed by the other party leaders and a few independent TDs. The feelings expressed were genuine and heartfelt. When the last of those sentiments were voiced, everybody quickly popped back into the bubble. The following half hour provided a window into the kind of political culture that is unlikely to just float away on a resolution to reform the Dáil.

Mr Kenny told the House that he had two amendments to the order of business as originally scheduled for the day. That order had included statements on the EU summit and a council of agriculture ministers meeting, to be followed by a few hours on the matter of housing and homelessness.

Now, he said he wanted to include provision for non-party deputies to get their tuppence worth in and to increase the time on the domestic matter to four hours. It was as if a perfectly functioning government and the order of business was a filler for a slow day, wrapped up in statements to a chamber where half a dozen deputies might take the bare look off things.

This suits Fine Gael. The party wants breathing space to either woo independents or hope that pressure might accumulate at Fianna Fáil’s door to enter a grand coalition. As of now, the latter option is whistling past the graveyard.

Mr Kenny’s late, late respect for the views of non-party deputies is directly attributable to his desperation to cling to office rather than exit in ignominy.

Opposition leader Micheál Martin was in compliant mood. He just suggested there should be “proper co-ordination and consultation about any change to standing orders”.

Mr Martin is currently engaged in perfecting a balancing act that should be requisite study for circus performers. He must give Fine Gael enough rope to govern in a minority capacity, but not enough to allow Sinn Fein claim that the big two are really de facto governing.

There is also the matter of extracting his party from the pledge to abolish Irish Water, largely because nobody in the country has come up with an alternative that won’t involve biting off the State’s nose to spite its face. That stuff is all very well unless you have to be accountable. All of this must be achieved while fashioning an image of responsible statesman who will only bring down the government in the national interest on a matter of the gravest import.

Next up was Sinn Féin. The party had a fair to middling election, but is now cheesed off that Mr Martin won’t clear off into government and free up the main opposition bench. Gerry Adams wanted a motion on the abolition of water charges and Irish Water to be included in the day’s business.

There are bombs going off in Brussels. The wretched of the earth are being washed onto the shores of Europe. People in this country live in increasing fear of losing their homes , yet Mr Adams is more concerned with a tactical manoeuvre to flush out Mr Martin. Four Sinn Féin deputies got to their feet to argue over the standing order, which was a dry run for the kind of filibustering we can expect in the absence of a grand coalition.

The party has signalled that it has no interest in attempting to implement its election promises by entering government, so instead it hopes to further its appeal by perfecting designer anger. In the current environment, there may be profit in this approach, but it will do absolutely nothing for the poor old national interest, not to mind the people the party purports to represent.

Independent TD John Halligan was one of the few to strike a genuine note.

“We need to bring some common sense,” he said. “We have spent the last two years discussing housing and migration. I have a couple who will be added to the homeless by April 6 [the day of the next Dáil sitting)] What’s the point if we’re going to talk about it and not make any decisions on issues affecting very many people in our country. I think it’s disgraceful.”

As for the smaller parties, they’re a mixed bag too. The Social Democrats appear petrified to go into any government, and scared to say they’re not going to support any government.

The AAA/People Before Profit don’t care who’s in government as long as they can talk about water charges. The Independent Alliance is gearing up for a split that may end up leaving Shane Ross taking on the role of a political corpse.

Meanwhile, the Green Party have a unique approach to government in that they want an opportunity to implement some of the policies on which they ran their election campaign. Imagine? A party that wants to actually fulfil its promises.

That’s how things went yesterday in the bubble. One element of the much-touted Dáil reform is to ensure that more voices are heard in the House. Too many were heard yesterday. Everybody wants reform but not on any terms that might rein up opportunities to chase cheap political capital at the drop of a hat.

If this is a taster for what’s to come under a minority government, lock up the shop, batten down the hatches, and hope that the country can continue to run smoothly without a functioning executive.