Elaine Loughlin: Hard to see how Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy can reassert her credibility

Like an ill-prepared substitute teacher, Verona Murphy lost control of the House for more than five and a half hours

As Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy grappled to take command of her new responsibility and the TDs she has under her care, the possibility of Micheál Martin being nominated and appointed Taoiseach ebbed away. Picture: Flickr/Houses of Oireachtas

After a day of complete chaos and disruption, it's difficult to see how Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy, whose credibility and ability has been utterly eroded, can reassert herself.

Like an ill-prepared substitute teacher, Ms Murphy let the class run riot within a matter minutes. 

Restoring order when the pupils know your frailties is an almost impossible task and and has left any trust in her ability to chair the Dáil significantly weakened.

"The precedent she has set is that she can't control the Dáil," one senior Sinn Féin TD said.

As Ms Murphy grappled to take command of her new responsibility and the TDs she has under her care, the possibility of Micheál Martin being nominated and appointed Taoiseach ebbed away.

Behind every politician are family, friends and supporters. Mr Martin's wife Mary and his adult children, who were denied the opportunity to be in attendance at the momentous occasion in 2020 when he became Taoiseach because of covid restrictions, solemnly looked on from the visitor's gallery.

Entertainment and anguish playing out in the same theatre.

The powerful position of Ceann Comhairle has always been a coveted one, as chair of Dáil Éireann, he or she is the sole judge of order and has a range of powers and functions.

On assuming office, and to ensure the unique role of presiding impartially over proceedings, the Ceann Comhairle is by tradition precluded from active participation in politics, they must bring all parties and none with them in order to maintain order during what can be feisty and heated debates.

But just like the teacher at the top of the classroom, if the Ceann does not have the respect of members, they will never obtain authority.

While the Taoiseach and Tánaiste firmly stood by Ms Murphy as the Dáil was suspended three times, preventing the appointment of Mr Martin as new leader, other government members milling around the Leinster House campus firmly laid the blame on the Ceann Comhairle's incompetence.

But regardless of whether the shenanigans is interpreted as cynical behaviour from Sinn Féin or a valid reaction to concerns held by the opposition, there is no getting away from the fact that for more than five-and-hours the Chair lost control of the House.

Opposition protesting in the Dáil chamber today. Such anarchy should have been foreseen by Ms Murphy, who for the past week has been dealing with a growing frustration amongst the opposition. Picture: Flickr/Houses of Oireachtas

The anarchy which ensued, both inside and outside the Chamber, should have been foreseen by Ms Murphy, who for the past week has been dealing with a growing frustration amongst the opposition, after it emerged that the Regional Independents and Danny Healy Rae were maneuvering to eke into opposition speaking time despite doing a deal to prop up the government.

"Running with the hares and hunting with the hound," was how Labour's Duncan Smith described it as things began to heat up towards the end of last week.

The technical group controversy rumbled on and was mixed in with mounting anger around the proposal to give the Dáil a further two weeks off to allow new ministers settle into their briefs. 

It had spiralled to such an extent on Tuesday evening that Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald took the unusual step of phoning the Ceann Comhairle to express her concerns.

"She was blindsided by all of this when she shouldn't have been," said one government TD.

Extraordinary and unprecedented scenes unfolded just moments after Ms Murphy made her opening comments to the Dáil.

"This is a joke," came the heckles from the Sinn Féin benches. "It is ridiculous," chimed in another member of the opposition.

One by one, Mary Lou McDonald, Labour's Duncan Smith, Gary Gannon of the Social Democrats, and Richard Boyd Barrett of People Before Profit–Solidarity got to their feet to air their grievances in no uncertain terms. 

But they were merely the warm-up act before what can only be described as all hell breaking loose.

At one stage seven members were on their feet shouting and gesticulating while government TDs bellowed back. 

The din had reached such a level in the Chamber that the Ceann Comhairle was not heard when she temporarily disbanded the sitting and some politicians and members of the media assumed she had stormed out.

The Dáil resumed at 11.56am, but after just two minutes, Ms Murphy, with the room out of control, was again forced to adjourn.

The discord and disorder continued behind closed doors, as various meetings of the Business Committee, which Murphy helms, put various solutions on the table, all of which were ruled out by one side or the other.

By the end of the day, those in Leinster House were almost drunk on the adrenaline, but the day of high drama and antics will have a lasting impact.

The opposition now know that Ms Murphy does not have command of the House, they know she can be easily shouted over and shouted down.