Elaine Loughlin: Dáil goes intergalactic with no confidence row

Mary Lou McDonald was going intergalactic, but was quickly brought down to earth when the Government won the vote of confidence. Picture: PA

On the day that new space photographs revealing the secrets of the universe were released, Mary Lou McDonald was going intergalactic.

Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien claimed that the Sinn Féin leader’s arrogance had reached such levels that Nasa’s James Webb telescope would be needed to track it.

But Ms McDonald was quickly brought down to earth when the Government comfortably won the vote of confidence, with the backing of 85 TDs.

The last week of the Dáil term usually puts TDs and senators in giddy form. But the confidence motion sent them onto another level; with taunts, applause, snipes, and laughter breaking out — sometimes in unison — across the Dáil benches.

Indeed, given the high levels of performance, the debating slot should have been renamed You’re a Star as it appeared more like a smart alec competition than a real discussion on whether or not the Government is fit for the task. 

So who would have caught the eye of the judging panel? And who just didn’t have that star quality?

Through to the final

Darragh O’Brien: Having been a main target in the opposition firing line, the housing minister came out fighting. He drew the loudest laughs of support when he stressed that the current Government is investing €4bn a year in housing, “which is €1.2bn more than Sinn Féin put forward in its 16-page housing plan, eight pages of which were taken up by pictures of Deputy [Eoin] Ó Broin and others”.

Michael McGrath: A mix-up with the amount of time the Taoiseach had to speak meant the minister for public expenditure was under pressure before he even stood up. But Mr McGrath remained unflustered and instead got members of the opposition hot around the collar when he suggested that “in its heart of hearts” Sinn Féin must know that its spending promises amounting to “billions and billions” is “a deeply cynical approach to politics”.

“Some of those who will support Sinn Féin today have had not one, but two, opportunities to enter Government in recent years but chose the safe and comfortable benches of opposition where it is easy to have all the answers and none of the responsibility.”

Paschal Donohoe: It was clear that the finance minister had thought about his contribution — as others stood up to speak he was seen mouthing his speech in the Dáil and nodding approvingly at some of his last-minute changes.

Reacting directly to Ms McDonald, he said: “Rarely have I heard a speech delivered so full of attack and so lacking in content as I heard earlier. She talked about the need to change. In the 15 minutes afforded to her, she proposed one solution. A tax credit. Anyone in our country looking for radical reform will not find it in the speech delivered by Deputy McDonald.”

Robert Troy: The quip of the evening arguably came from the junior minister, who told the Dáil: “Last week, people in Sinn Féin looked across the water to the parliament in Westminster from which they take their expenses but in which they do not take their seats. They saw mayhem, chaos, and dysfunction and they said: ‘How can we get some of that over here?’”

Eliminated

Mary Lou McDonald: There is no doubt the Sinn Féin leader came prepared. Wearing a pair of runners, she was ready to make a dart across the chamber in the event of the Government actually losing the vote.

In the end, her footwear was needed only to make a quick escape from the Chamber. She was even seen waiting at the door to make a hasty exit before the results were announced.

Micheál Martin: “The Taoiseach’s time is up. The people have had enough,” Ms McDonald told the Dáil, and she wasn’t wrong. Having spoken for 17 minutes, the Taoiseach left two of his Fianna Fáil ministers just three minutes to contribute.

“I did not realise, apologies,” Mr Martin said, before speeding up the delivery of the remaining pages in his hand.

Neasa Hourigan and Patrick Costello: The rebel Green TDs did in the end vote in favour of the motion of confidence in the Government; however, their talent was impossible to judge purely because they didn’t speak, in fact, they didn’t show up until very late in the two-and-a-half-hour debate, probably wise.