Irish premier rounds on opposition parties as confidence motion gets under way

Ireland’s opposition parties have been accused of engaging in “cynical strategies of aggression and disruption” by premier Micheal Martin as the confidence motion gets under way.

The Dail is debating a confidence motion in Ceann Comhairle (speaker) Verona Murphy over her role in approving a vote which allowed the Government to make changes to speaking time in the lower House of the parliament.

There were chaotic scenes in the Dail last week over the rule changes which resulted in the suspension of the House and prompted the main opposition parties to express a lack of confidence in Ms Murphy.

Mr Martin, the Taoiseach and leader of Fianna Fail, said it was “profoundly regrettable” the debate is being held, adding there was no justification for the motion.

Mr Martin told the opposition on Tuesday afternoon: “We will not stay silent as you try to intimidate this house and its chairperson, and you will not succeed in opposing rule by minority.

“You will not block the democratic business of this house roaring and chanting, and then blaming everyone else for your behaviour.”

The motion of confidence in Ms Murphy is expected to pass on the Government’s majority.

Mr Martin said the Dail does do not have time to waste on “cynical strategies of aggression and disruption”, adding that the country is facing “enormous threats” over US tariffs.

He accused accused opposition parties of breaking “every single rule” of the Dail and claimed parties had “manufactured” a claim that Ms Murphy had behaved inappropriately.

The main opposition parties tabled an unprecedented motion of no confidence in Ms Murphy after Government proposals for rule changes sparked a bitter row.

Ms Murphy will be backed by the Government on Tuesday afternoon in a confidence motion it is bringing instead of the opposition wording.

Mary Lou McDonald accused Ms Murphy of showing an “unprecedented and frankly breathtaking display of bias”.

She claimed her position is “untenable”.

Ms McDonald said the Ceann Comhairle made three decisions exposing bias last week; failing to hold a vote on Dail business when one was called; cancelling questions on promised legislation; and failing to put the Government motion to a vote.

The latter allegation is part of Sinn Fein’s contention that the Dail actually voted on the opposition amendment to the motion and thus the rules on speaking rights have not actually been changed.

Ms McDonald said: “Dail business was dispensed with to achieve the Government’s desired outcome.”

She said there had been “shameless co-ordination and co-operation between the Ceann Comhairle and the Government”.

“The actions of the Ceann Comhairle have been neither impartial nor independent, quite the opposite.

“The credibility of the Ceann Comhairle now lies in tatters, having lost the confidence of the opposition.

“For the Ceann Comhairle to fulfil their duties, they must enjoy the confidence of both Government and opposition.

“Teachta Murphy does not – and must go.”

The deputy premier Simon Harris called on all parties to “pull together” as the country faces a potential global trade war.

“It is my firm conviction that the message of the people from the last election, and the message of people right across Ireland in the last week, is ‘Stop shouting, roaring and hollering at each other, turn up for work and get on with the job’.”

“The context we now face is a potential global trade war, which will not be without consequence for Ireland.

“I’ve every confidence that this country will work its way through it, but it will require a co-ordinated and sustained effort in the vein of our response to Brexit.

“We need to pull together as this is a moment, the hard reality is dawning.

“The time for shouting, whooping and hollering is over.

“We need to put our shoulder to the wheel and we need to push in one direction.”

Labour leader Ivana Bacik suggested that the new Dail speaking slot will be used by backbenchers to “tell the Taoiseach how great he is”.

She criticised the changes to the Dail rules as allowing government-affiliated independents on “both on both sides of the fence”.

She called the new eight-minute Other Members’ Questions slot on Wednesdays a “sham setpiece”.

“We’re going to see it tomorrow, a new Other Members’ Questions slot, a sort of theatrical government TDs parliamentary party meeting in public,” Ms Bacik said.

“But the reality is government backbenchers will lose out. Other Members’ Questions are being introduced to the expense of Taoiseach’s Questions on Wednesday, a slot which is now we saw today, being used by backbenchers lobbying for junior ministries, queuing up to tell the Taoiseach how great he is and what a great job he’s doing.”

The deputy leader of the Social Democrats said government is intent on “bulldozing democratic norms to get a grubby deal with a corrupt politician over the line”.

Ciann O’Callaghan said Government politicians “clearly prefer to forget” the findings of the Moriarty Tribunal, which said former Fine Gael minister Michael Lowry had behaved in a manner that was “profoundly corrupt”.

Now an independent TD, Mr Lowry acted as a negotiator for other independents to support the formation of a Government with Fine Gael and Fianna Fail.

Mr O’Callaghan said: “Last Tuesday, as the Dail descended into chaos, one person sat there smiling and laughing.

“Michael Lowry was triumphant, and why wouldn’t he be?

“He got exactly what he wanted.

“He got one of his group elected as Ceann Comhairle.

“He got another four appointed as junior ministers, including two super juniors.

“He secured the opposition leader speaking rights and he got influence over how public money in the national development plan and the HSE capital plan will be allocated.

“All of this for a politician who was found what Moriarty tribunal to be, and I quote, ‘profoundly corrupt to a degree that no was nothing short of breathtaking’.”

There is some uncertainty as to whether the vote will settle a long-running dispute on opposition speaking rights, which has seen breaks in parliamentary norms of procedure and decorum.

Sinn Fein, the Social Democrats, and People Before Profit said they would discuss with other opposition parties how they would respond after the vote.

Aontu leader Peadar Toibin said his party was abstaining on the confidence vote in Ms Murphy.

Mr Toibin said that they “absolutely oppose” the change to Dail speaking rules made last week, but said Ms Murphy “should not be shown the door at this moment in time”.

“There’s no doubt that the actions of Verona last Tuesday were procedurally incorrect, but it’s actually very hard to see how anybody would be able to deliver procedure properly under that kind of abuse for so long.”

Ms Murphy became the Ceann Comhairle in December in a move seen as among the first steps of an agreement with a group of independent MPs, known as TDs in Ireland, to support the formation of a government with the Fianna Fail and Fine Gael parties.

Backlash to that coalition’s proposals, which would have allowed some of those independent TDs to be directly given opposition speaking time, led to a delay in the nomination of a taoiseach in January.

The Government has since moved to change parliamentary rules to create a new “other members” speaking slot for TDs in that independent bloc who were not given ministerial positions, as well as backbenchers in the Government parties.

The controversial changes to standing orders also include a reduction of time for contributions on debating the order of business and a halving of slots for Taoiseach’s Questions.

The Government said the moves reflect the changing make-up of the Dail.

However, the opposition has vehemently opposed the reforms, characterising them as an attempt to dilute their ability to hold the Government to account and to blur the relationship of the independents who have supported the formation of the coalition.

They argue that the “other members” questions slot does not tally with their position that a TD cannot be in Government and opposition at the same time.

The row has hindered legislative work and has prevented parliamentary committees from being established.

Opposition parties have further argued that the process in which the changes were approved was itself flawed.

It comes amid a dispute on whether Ms Murphy carried out her duties correctly and followed proper procedures in carrying out the vote to implement the changes, which were backed by the Government’s majority.

During a lengthy standoff ahead of the vote, Ms Murphy said the actions of opposition TDs were “an absolute disgrace” and they were making a “holy show of” themselves.

There was widespread disruption from the opposition benches as the motion was brought forward and the Dail was ultimately adjourned for the remainder of the day after the vote was approved by the Ceann Comhairle amid further objections.

Opposition parties chanted “shame, shame, shame” as the Government filed out of the chamber.

At the same time, Mr Lowry, a key figure in the independent grouping that supported Government formation and put Ms Murphy forward for Ceann Comhairle, was filmed sticking up two fingers to People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Paul Murphy while still in the chamber.

Mr Lowry, a former Fine Gael minister that was previously found by a tribunal to have behaved in a manner that was “profoundly corrupt”, later described his move as an “errant gesture under provocation”.

The Government has backed the Ceann Comhairle while criticising the opposition tactics.