Labour and the Social Democrats are now firmly in the orbit of Sinn Féin

Of course, ruaille buaille has been a regular feature of Dáil debates over the decades but the venom, the shouting down of the Ceann Comhairle and the total lack of respect for a fundamental pillar of our democracy gave us a glimpse of the rough beasts eying power in coming times. The most powerful contribution during Tuesday’s debate of confidence in Verona Murphy came from former Sinn Féin TD Carol Nolan from Offaly, who knows a thing or two about her old colleagues. At the beginning of her short contribution she turned, looked directly at them and exclaimed: “Stop it, will you? Have respect.

The deputies are a disgrace. I spent too long with them.” She went on to remark that the abuse heaped on the Ceann Comhairle was an advertisement to women to stay out of political life.



Her most devastating comment was reserved for Mary Lou McDonald. “It was the deputies’ own dear leader, the feminist herself, who stood up and engaged in shocking behaviour in this House. What an example to lead by.

What would that be like in government? What would the country be like? A disgrace. It is shameful.” That in a nutshell sums up the choice that is likely to face the Irish people when the next election comes around: another term for some version of the current Coalition or a leap into the arms of a Sinn Féin-dominated alternative.

The political narrative in western democracies has been coarsened in recent years, most notably by Donald Trump, but the trend has been evident across Europe as well. The normalisation of abusive rhetoric is designed to undermine faith in the institutions we have taken for granted. [ A more polarised, confrontational Dáil takes shape Opens in new window ] The best way Government parties can counter it is to show that they are capable of providing wise and competent leadership.

Since they defied the predictions of most pundits and won re-election last November the Coalition parties have been distracted by the disruptive events in the Dáil. Unless they get on top of things soon and are seen to get to grips with the important issues facing the country they will find it impossible to generate the public confidence required to deal with a slew of challenges, starting with the impact of Trump’s tariffs. On the domestic front, over which they have control, they need to take whatever steps are necessary to deal with the obstacles standing in the way of urgently needed development in housing, water and electricity for the past decade or more.

That may require a bonfire of planning regulations and quangos that are blocking progress in so many areas. The bottom line is that our political leaders need to take charge of events rather than being dictated to by regulators or judges. To do that will take courage but the time to start the process of reform is now, at the start of their term, as achieving results will take time.

For instance, why is the proposal to pipe water from the Shannon to Dublin, first mooted more than 20 years ago, still being talked about rather than acted on? Why is it taking so inordinately long to get our offshore wind energy developed when other countries, less well placed, are racing ahead with their plans? Ultimately, politicians have the duty to act in the public interest but they have abdicated far too much responsibility to judges and planners, who are bound by narrow interpretations of the rules. A rediscovery of the spirit that drove the building of the Shannon scheme in the early years of the State or the International Financial Services Centre in the 1980s is required. The comfortable victory by 96 votes to 71 on the motion of confidence in the Ceann Comhairle showed that there is a clear majority in the Dáil for a sensible but firm approach to difficult issues.

The Coalition needs to build on that and drive its stated agenda through without delay. [ Taoiseach insists Government and Dáil are ‘working’ despite ‘unacceptable’ scenes Opens in new window ] As for the Opposition, the willingness of Labour and the Social Democrats to give such enthusiastic backing to the attack on the Ceann Comhairle showed clearly that those parties are now firmly in the orbit of Sinn Féin and the Trotskyist left. Those same forces are lining up for another confrontation with the Government in the near future over the plan to remove the triple lock which currently gives Russia and China, never mind the United States, a veto over the deployment of Irish peacekeeping troops.

This will simply reinforce the claim made by the Taoiseach and other Government speakers during this week’s debate that Labour and the Social Democrats have now been reduced to the status of Sinn Féin puppets. One of the objectives of Sinn Féin in launching such a no-holds-barred attack on the Coalition was to demonstrate its total dominance of the Opposition benches. It has certainly achieved that goal.

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