Leaders are few and far between in Dáil

TD Simon Harris has claimed the media is this country’s real opposition. Somebody has to be, because those in the Dáil aren’t up to the task, writes Political Correspondent Shaun Connolly.

IS the media the country’s real opposition, and, if so, why? Fine Gael TD Simon Harris made the charge as he accused some journalists of abandoning reporting in favour of a course of constant conflict with the Government.

Harris, who at 26 is the youngest TD in the Dáil, seemed particularly agitated by media criticism that he should “go home and play with his Lego”, but his comments open up an intriguing debate about why parliamentary opposition is so weak, and why the Government likes it that way despite all its talk of wanting to lead a “political revolution”.