Speaking rights row is the death knell of post-2016 'new politics'

Measures that were introduced to improve citizen voices in democracy after the economic crash are now largely being ignored

Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy speaking in the Dáil chamber in Dublin.

THIS WEEK saw the culmination of the speaking rights drama result in the first-ever motion of confidence in a ceann comhairle. This was easily carried by Government and Government-supporting TDs, but it may also represent a final blow to the legacy of new politics.

‘New politics’ was the term given to the sweeping 2016 changes to the political system in the wake of the financial crash, to give a minority Government a mandate and structural support, and to get them through five years of power. 

These reforms were added to the earlier reforms introduced by the Fine Gael and Labour Government after the 2011 election, to address the malaise that had entered the political system and the sense of disenfranchisement of the average voter in the political system.

This was all in an environment of reform and change to improve Irish democracy in the wake of the Celtic Tiger crash. This included more oversight of our financial affairs as a nation, both internally and externally, and led to the creation of the Fiscal Advisory Council.

The lack of the citizens’ voice in democracy was addressed by the creation of the constitutional convention and then the later development of the Citizens’ Assembly. 

The final day of this weekend’s fourth meeting of the Citizens’ Assembly on Drugs Use in Malahide, Co Dublin. Picture: Maxwell’s

Dáil reform was also on the agenda to create a more consensus-based deliberative system, one in which the Government was to be more accountable to the Oireachtas.

One of the most important changes in this regard was the way the ceann comhairle would be appointed.

The ceann comhairle, as the chair of the Dáil, is in a special position in Irish democracy. Yes, they may originally have come into the chamber as an elected representative for a particular constituency, but once they are elected to the role, their job then transcends the normal cut and thrust of electoral politics. They are the only member who is automatically returned to the Dáil. This is so they can concentrate on the business of the house without facing repercussions at the ballot box.

This is why the drama surrounding Verona Murphy since the commencement of Dáil business in January, culminating with the motion of confidence on Tuesday, is symbolic not only for being the first such vote in the history of Dáil Éireann, but also for the undermining of the optics of the consensus model of doing business in the chamber since new politics.

The last few years have seen a dangerous undermining of the core elements of new politics. At the last budget, warnings issued by the Fiscal Advisory Council were ignored quite openly. 

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The last time we used the Citizens’ Assembly was in 2023, to look at the issue of drug use in Ireland. While the Constitutional Convention and the Citizens’ Assembly were both useful bodies to assess sentiment on issues of national policy importance, nothing seems to be on the agenda for them to look at when we have significant policy crises such as health, special education provision, and housing. 

While all these issues may out of themselves create headlines, the fact that they have been either ignored or left on the shelf suggests that new politics may be going out of fashion. Whereas the speaking-time issue is a very easy concept for the average person to get their head around.

The issues are also very clear, they can be put in a social media post, and people can easily understand the arguments of the opposition. And so there was a debate in the chamber where one side were extolling the wonders of our new ceann comhairle, or more than often as transpired in the debate, taking shots at the opposition and doing nothing to calm down the overall situation, while the other was trying to air their well-founded grievances.

Only a few deputies tried to take the heat out of the situation by talking about consensus.

While the ceann comhairle still remains in her position, there will be fallout in the creation of the committees — they themselves shaped by the same political reforms that were part of new politics — with both opposition, and probably a significant minority of Government backbench TDs, feeling that while their voice has not quite been silenced, their ability to represent constituency issues has been reduced.

Opposition TDs will almost certainly be more distrustful of the ceann comhairle and will be far more watchful of any conduct that may be construed as bias.

As is said, those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. The changes that were brought about by new politics and the measures that were introduced were widely supported from across the chamber and from experts in political reform.

However, it is certainly another nail in the coffin of new politics.