From top: Leinster House, Kildare Street, Dublin 2; Anne Marie McNally
Though often chaotic and unseemly, we are finally getting a a parliament where issues are king.
Anne Marie McNally writes:
The first term of the 32nd Dáil has come to an end, marking a pivotal moment in the history of politics in Ireland.
It has been a term where we surpassed the previously held record for the length of time it took to form a Government.
It gave us a Minority Government and a convoluted partnership agreement that’s not a coalition – not in name anyway.
It also gave us the lofty claims of ‘new politics’, the oft-repeated phrase which has become the slogan of the 32nd Dáil.
It’s trotted out by politicians across the spectrum and political correspondents are equally effusive in both welcoming it and deriding it depending on which way the wind is blowing on a particular day.
For all the derision that can be levied at the 32nd Dáil (and Irish politics in general) I think it’s fair to say that ‘new politics’ has critically shifted the way business is done in this bubble of ours in Leinster House.
Gone are the days of Bills floating through the House on a sea of arrogant majority Government backbenchers.
Gone are the looming guillotines ensuring legislation is passed at times convenient to Government despite the protestations of the opposition.
Gone too are the refusals of Government to provide adequate time for opposition business or smaller parties and Independents.
Instead we have, though often chaotic and unseemly, a parliament where issues are king. Suddenly the substance of a particular piece of legislation is the most important thing and not the shade of the party proposing it.
We’ve had opposition support Government initiatives and we’ve had Government support opposition business. There is more time and scope for consensus and agreement. Opposition for opposition sake is increasingly – both inside the bubble and out –being derided as ineffective and damaging.
Fianna Fáil have tabled two pieces of legislation – one on Au Pairs and one on the sale of Local Authority Homes built under the Part V rules. Both Bills were defeated, not because they were Fianna Fáil Bills but because it was generally agreed that both were flawed pieces of legislation. The majority of opposition voted with Government in defeating those Bills.
Minister Simon Coveney’s housing plan has come about as a result of a consultation process he held with all other parties and Independents. We know from the substance of that plan that he listened and took on board some of the submissions made to him.
Similarly, Róisín Shortall has presided over the establishment of the All-Party Committee on Health which the Social Democrats put forward with a stated aim of ‘delivering a universally accessible publicly funded health service.’
This stated aim was almost universally accepted and supported (everyone except AAA/PBP signed up to and supported the motion) and the Committee was created.
Róisín, despite being from a smaller party was appointed as Chair of that Committee with the support of colleagues from every party as it was acknowledged that this had been a Social Democrats initiative and Roisin’s expertise and commitment was best placed to drive it.
Whichever way you look at things, that is an entirely new way of doing business.
The theatre of the shouting and balling across at each other still exists, particularly during the camera opportunities of Leaders Questions etc. but by and large those instances are much reduced.
There is a greater emphasis on getting to the heart of the issue and explaining why you support the legislation/motion or not. There is a sense that the other side is listening to you and prepared to work with you to make things happen. It is healthy.
It’s not all great and the time-tabling is still as crazy as ever with sittings until 10:30/11pm at night while nothing happens on a Friday for example but it is an improvement and when you’re in this dysfunctional bubble that is the Irish political system, you’ll take those improvements wherever they come!
Anne Marie McNally is a founding member of the Social Democrats. Follow Anne Marie on Twitter: @amomcnally
This is the way a parliament should work, if Ireland had a proper Separation of Powers. In other words the power of the executive is limited and the parliament actually passes laws, which is its responsibility.
Some politicos don’t like it (because it limits their powers) but minority governments can be great.
Just, get rid of Enda,….. his time is up.
greatest leader of ff, has rebuilt the party in 5 short years, bravo inda
You honor / blame Inda for the fools who return to voting FF?
Those who return to FF are just stupid, it wouldn’t have mattered who was in FG, those fools were going back to FF anyway.
That’s a fairly ridiculous statement Clampers
Is it, oh…. and…
Clampers, he arrived into the dail with a large majority ff on their knees and a huge store of goodwill from the voters who believed (however foolishly) that he’d bring change for the better of a nation and it’s people who are on their knees. He and his band of merry men squandered all of that, and that contributed largely to the restoration of ff to power
what about the rest of the opposition?
I find myself growing angrier every day at this shower in the Dail, and all their predecessors. Most eggregious is their arrogant assumption that the public/electorate are ignorant fools who must be herded with kicks and blows in the direction that our self appointed Masters wish us to go. Our talents, our life experience, our intelligence count for nothing – we must obey the thick headed, brass necked trough guzzlers whom we have allowed to set themselves above us. I may do something desperate I tell’s ya.
I probably would have disagreed with you until the last government. Joan’s smartphone comment summed them up. They really do think of themselves as rulers of the little people and those little people should not be questioning them.
I used to believe it was the electorate’s job to catch them out, call their bluff, prove them wrong, prove them corrupt. But even that eats into your leisure time and gnarls up your pleasant disposition. The arrogance stinks. If there were more stringent measures for accountability and a real threat of losing their seat for any evidence of misuse of power, we might get a different type of politician.
Hoop, and there’s the rub. In their dealings with the general public our particular breed of politicos don’t understand the concept of ‘stick and carrot’. When it comes to us, it’s all stick and not even the suggestion of a carrot. For them, it is the reverse. There are NO consequences whatever for criminality, for laziness, for outright stupidity – it’s carrots all the way for these people. “Pleeeeze, pleeeze, pleeeze elect me, my only desire is to serve you.” Aaaaargghhhh
Are we talking about the same do-nothing Dáil? where no new legislation has been initiated by the Government?
http://www.irishexaminer.com/viewpoints/columnists/daniel-mcconnell/the-do-nothing-dail–impotent-government-happy-to-head-for-hills-411691.html
A positive post.
Refreshing.
Apart from the balling….
…”much reduced”
There’ll always be some, we’re humans :)
Ah, I see now… typo.
Thanks Ringusboreum
I am wondering if that “balling” is deliberate or a typo, or an americanized version of the word bawling !
“Gone are the days of Bills floating through the House on a sea of arrogant majority Government backbenchers.
Gone are the looming guillotines ensuring legislation is passed at times convenient to Government despite the protestations of the opposition”
Also gone are the days where a government with a working majority can pass legislation in the public interest like they’ve been elected to. Instead we have a populist rabble checking which way the wind blows before casting every vote in the knowledge that a snap election could happen any time. I’m not sure that qualifies as good governance.
Well said.
+1
PBP/AAA not even signing up to an All-Party Health Committee because it might tie them to an actual record they’d have to defend.
Much easier just to shout and scream from the sidelines at it, hoping it fails so you can say you were right all along.
so its gone from an entirely corrupt, rogue government to a non-active one … still nowhere near where we need to be. Ive seen some powerful speeches in the Dail this term, that ultimately end up as nothing more than that. the Dail is like the seanad, lots of huffin n puffin with no action.
You must admit clampers that if deliberate it presents a very disturbing picture of what are called Dáil debates !!
It’s disappointing to see ‘new politics’ uttered by Anne Marie, whom I greatly respect for standing up for public interests. And it’s embarrassing to go on and dissect the term to show what it really is.
Let FG and FF groupies chant it, they are trained to cheer-lead and swallow nonsense for as long as chunks of unaccounted tax cash flows their way. From others I would expect a dignified omission of this insult of a term.
These party political fluff pieces are getting tiresome.
This dail has achieved precisely nothing but go ahead and cheerlead it as being groundbreaking because it features 3 members of your party. this is exactly the sort of partisan nonsence you are bemoaning.
End of term report, ahh shrrr ye done yer best suppose, what can ye do.
Do not expect much, business as usual.
Pass the brown ehh, thingey.
Nothing done about climate change. Bar some bulls**t policy suggestions.
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/politics/is-the-proposed-smart-agricultural-policy-too-good-to-be-true-1.2721546