Irish Examiner view: First day of Dáil does not inspire confidence

Opposition bench members standing and objecting during the Taoiseach nomination process. Picture: Flickr/Houses of Oireachtas

The first meeting of a new Dáil is always an occasion of pure political theatre, with all in Leinster House signalling the purest of intentions.

Those in power seek to radiate a sense of high purpose while those in opposition seek to undermine that sense of high purpose, though the preferred term is holding the government to account.

Yesterday’s chaotic scenes in Dáil Éireann were different, not least due to the substantive point being made by opposition parties about Regional Independent group TDs acquiring the power of bilocation. Long associated with candidates for sainthood, in this case bilocation involves being simultaneously part of the new government and also receiving opposition speaking rights. Perhaps Schrödinger’s Independent group would be a more accurate description.

The disorder in the chamber and decisions on speaking rights alike are the province of Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy, whose performance was the focus of much scrutiny yesterday. This was not just because of the chaotic scenes which eventually led to the adjournment of the house, but
because of what those scenes may presage for the rest of the Dáil session.

The new government will not lack challenges, from the vexed question of allocating the famous Apple tax windfall to the even more vexed issue of Donald Trump’s potential impact on Ireland: The sense of high purpose mentioned earlier needs to be matched with application and accomplishment.

An efficient Dáil is a must in order to do so. This is not to argue for either an acquiescent chamber or toothless opposition but to point out that clear procedures and strong guidance are necessary for the Dáil to function properly in dealing with necessary legislation.

Yesterday saw procedures break down almost immediately, which does not instil confidence in the prospects of the 34th Dáil meeting the challenges of 2025 and beyond.

A sharp improvement in standards is needed — not just to appoint a taoiseach, but to maintain confidence in the democratic process.

Google satnav on wrong track

In recent years, the carnage on our roads has featured in headlines repeatedly, with drivers encouraged to slow down and take care. It now appears that technology may be helping some drivers avoid efforts to make the roads safer.

As reported here, Oliver Moran, a Green Party city councillor in Cork and a software engineer, has written to Google expressing his concerns about real-time traffic alerts on Google’s satnav subsidiary Waze. Mr Moran has pointed out to Google — and gardaí and the Road Safety Authority (RSA) — that one of the satnav’s features encourages motorists to provide real-time updates and to identify the locations of speed traps and checkpoints.

At first glance, this may seem excessive — part of the reason for installing speed van cameras, for instance, is to deter motorists from speeding. The argument could be made that knowing where such vans are located could work to slow down traffic generally. However, Mr Moran makes the valid point that not only are there regulations in place against the use of items which frustrate the work of speed-detecting devices but publicising the location of checkpoints could have very serious consequences.

“Checkpoints may be in place for reasons other than the detection of motoring offences,” he said. “Warning of their presence may interfere with Garda operations and allow drink or drug drivers and serious criminals to evade gardaí.”

If criminal gangs were able to avoid such checkpoints while plotting their travel routes around the country, it would seriously undermine gardaí’s ability to combat crime.

The RSA responded to Mr Moran’s letter, saying it will bring the matter to the attention of the head of roads policing in Cork City, but it will be interesting to see if Google responds. It would be encouraging if a tech giant acted for the benefit of our citizens but nobody is holding their breath.

Kindness is king 

The Oxford University Press (OUP) has been running an innovative programme for the last 10 years, canvassing thousands of British children to select their word of the year.

The children’s picks often reflects current events. Two years ago, ‘queen’ was the word selected as children’s word of the year — unsurprisingly, given that Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II died the same year.

As a result, it is interesting to consider that ‘kindness’ has been chosen as the children’s word of the year for 2024, following a survey of over 6,000 children aged six to 14 across Britain.

Over half of those surveyed (61%) picked ‘kindness’, while ‘artificial intelligence’ came second, chosen by 25% of children.

To be fair, the OUP casts its net pretty wide in the survey. It has learned that for children in Britain, the most popular slang term is ‘slay’, as a term of approval or support, closely followed by ‘sigma’ and ‘skibidi’; Irish readers with offspring in the same age range will recognise the terms instantly.

Regarding the selection of ‘kindness’ as word of the year, however, an OUP spokesperson said: “This choice suggests something more personal: An awareness of mental health
issues and of the hidden challenges others may be facing.”

This is a reasonable point to make, and it augurs well that the younger generation have an inherent awareness of the importance of kindness, not to mention an ease in articulating that importance. It would be hugely beneficial if their older counterparts followed those youngsters’ example.

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