Who does this government serve? Protest crackdowns and neutrality debates spark outrage

A speaking rights row, moves away from neutrality, and garda action against anti-war protesters are all signs of a worrying trend for democracy

Garda at the scene of the Mothers Against Genocide protest outside Leinster House.

On March 25, amid chaotic scenes in the Dáil, the Ceann Comhairle approved a controversial vote on speaking rights. In an arrangement that breaks with parliamentary procedure norms to date, government TDs will be given speaking slots that cut into the time allocated to the Opposition to hold the government to account — a central component of a functioning democracy.

Beyond the question of speaking rights, the manner in which the vote was cast is deeply problematic. It sets a dangerous precedent, which may see the government railroad legislative proposals through the Dáil circumventing pre-legislative scrutiny, which is the democratic prerogative of the Oireachtas. Indeed during the previous government, which was also dominated by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, the Irish Council for Civil Liberties, along with 22 other organisations, published an open letter sounding the alarm on ‘abuse of parliamentary processes’ and the ‘rushed and truncated nature’ of legislative proceedings.