Butler views Seanad as a hot property; racy story puts paid to politicians betting; and icy winds greet Pat the Cope’s tome in Reykjavik
Butler thinks the media treats the House like a hotel
Larry Butler has a bee in his bonnet. Who, you might ask, is Larry Butler? Senator Larry Butler. Does that ring a bell? No? Larry is a first-time Senator, who finally reached the lower slopes of Leinster House in 2007 after nearly 20 years as a councillor in Dún Laoghaire. The Fianna Fáil veteran is a former builder who clearly still has an eye for prime real estate when he sees it.
He is also rather aggrieved at the scant media coverage afforded to members of Seanad Éireann. But this has nothing to do with his view that the media should pay for the privilege of working in Leinster House. Downturn or not, serviced rental space in central Dublin doesn’t come cheap.
“There is a situation in the House which we have not dealt with and I do not know whether we have the courage to deal with it,” he told the Seanad during the week. “I want to bring to the Minister of State’s attention that €500,000 is spent by these Houses on RTÉ and the national and multinational press which work out of this building. I would like to see some effort in this area.”
Senator Butler didn’t explain whether he meant more effort in trying to charge national media outlets for covering the national parliament or more effort from the journalists concerned in reporting the oratorical gems that don’t drop regularly from the lips of the likes of Larry.
“These are all profitable organisations whose representatives in these Houses are highly paid, use telephones and desks, and enjoy heating and subsidised food, Despite this, they write stories about public representatives not doing their jobs when they can telephone their granny in Australia, New Zealand or wherever at the expense of the State. It is time we had the courage to stop that.” Imagine. You let them into Leinster House and then they don’t write what you want them to.
Unlike Senator Butler, the journalists are not paid out of the public purse. Neither do they have a facility for making international calls. (Unlike Senators, who do, although Larry says he is unaware if he can make an international call from his office, never having tried.) We rang Senator Butler to find out how he came by his €500,000 figure. He says a member of the Oireachtas commission told him. “What I would say about that figure is that you cover the Dáil extremely well, but we get no coverage for the Seanad,” he tellingly remarked.
An Oireachtas spokesperson was unsure how the figure was reached, but he thought it was the result of an audit of all the communications operations in Leinster House, including those press and PR units employed by the State.
A commission member, who didn’t wish to be identified, said the figure was nearer €450,000 and “includes the kitchen sink and all”. The fact that facilities have been granted to the media in Leinster House since the foundation of the State cuts no ice with Larry.
In these recessionary times, all fundraising avenues must be explored. He points out that Ministers have had their pensions cut by 25 per cent. (While they still draw salaries.)
“RTÉ is funded by licence, so they should certainly pay something towards the cost of running the House.” Larry brought this issue up twice during the week. However, we understand he is not on his own when it comes to the question of charging journalists who cover the goings on in Leinster House. A number of deputies and Senators, stung by recent the coverage of their generously complicated expenses regime, have been muttering darkly of late about the cost of having journalists around.
Yesterday, Larry told the Seanad: "We are paying €500,000 for the privilege of having these people in the House working with us. The national newspapers, RTÉ and various other organisations that are based in this House are here at the taxpayers' expense. It is time they paid for the space they occupy in this House." As he said on Wednesday morning: "I do not see why Dr Tony O'Reilly's journalists or those from The Irish Timeswho are in these Houses should be subsidised by this or any parliament, for that matter. While it is important they play their part, I have not heard any one of them giving good press to any politicians, no matter what time we sit." Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny is flabbergasted. "I am very surprised to hear that a recommendation of An Bord Snip has been leaked to the Fianna Fáil Senate group, but as finance measures go, it needs some tweaking.
“Maybe a sealed brown envelope bidding system could be arranged, with the best offices closest to Government Buildings going to the highest bidder. Where will it all end?” commented Enda.
FF’s Senators get slated by party’s grassroots
Fianna Fáil’s Senators came under fire from members of their own party last Tuesday, when a meeting of county councillors convened in the Heritage Hotel in Portlaoise to discuss their situation in the wake of the local elections.
The party went from 302 to 218 county councillors, and the mood among the 20 or so senior local politicians was not exactly warm towards the Government or party headquarters. They were “slated,” according to one attendee. The meeting was called by Arthur McDonald, who chaired the party’s group of councillors before the election. It was decided to set up a new forum, with new rules designed to give councillors a strong and independent voice, particularly against headquarters. There was a lot of anger at the meeting, with Ministers accused of arrogance and taking their local representatives for granted.
The councillors, who travelled from all around the country for the four-hour meeting, reserved their strongest criticism for FF Senators, who rely on them for votes.
“There was particular disgust over so-called career Senators, with one suggestion that councillors only vote for other councillors in the next Seanad elections. They can frigg off if they think we’ll be voting for them again when they went into hiding during the locals,” said one disgruntled councillor yesterday.
He is not alone. “The word is: we’ll be waiting for them, in the same way they’ve left us waiting in the past,” vowed a colleague.
It was reckoned at the meeting that 48 seats were won by disaffected members who left the party to run as Independents. “They’re very lucky they ran as Independents, because if they ran with Fianna Fáil they wouldn’t have been elected.” Aidan O’Gorman, FF national organiser, attended the meeting and was left in no doubt as to the views of those present. “What we basically want out of this is a bit of respect from Senators, TDs and Ministers in particular. We are the people who take all the flak at the grassroots and we want some recognition.” To that end, a request has been submitted to party general secretary Seán Dorgan, asking that at least two councillors be invited to take part in September’s FF think-in in Athlone.
Telling horse story a safe bet to upset politicians
My, what sensitive souls they are in Leinster House. Particularly those who like an odd flutter on the nags.
Our story last week about one of the televisions in the members' bar being tuned into Sky Sports At The Raceschannel hit a raw nerve with quite a few deputies, who were outraged that this should have been reported.
One Oireachtas member said he read it when abroad last week and his first thought was “who squealed?” Interrogations took place. Indications of annoyance were duly conveyed to this quarter.
“We’ve two Kerry politicians in the frame,” a TD told us triumphantly, looking for a flicker of confirmation. (It doesn’t take a genius to work out that an evening meeting at Bellewstown isn’t ordinarily shown on terrestrial television.) “You’ve broken the unwritten rules,” quivered another.
Meanwhile, a Senator said he thinks members clubbed together when the service was first installed and paid for it themselves. But he doesn’t think that is still the case. It isn’t a lot of money. And anyway, what’s the harm?
Garda hotline keeps Dermot Ahern on call
Minister Ahern is a very important man. If we didn’t know that already, it became clear in the Seanad during the week, when his phone rang, much to the annoyance of the Cathaoirleach who is persecuted by mobile phones going off during business.
Cathaoirleach Moylan was trying to work out where the ringing was coming from. Dermot owned up.
“Given the job I have, I require to be in 24-7 contact with the Garda. I have already asked the Clerk of the Dáil to give me an exemption on the use of my mobile telephone,” he self-importantly explained.
To which Senator Ronan Mullen riposted: “There could be blasphemers needing to be arrested even as we speak.”
Ictu mobile ring tones blame it on the Biffo
A group of trade unionists at the ICTU biennial delegate conference in Kerry announced in advance on Thursday their intention to protest during the Taoiseach’s speech yesterday. It was put about that they were planning a co-ordinated bout of mobile phone ringing while Biffo was at the podium. Observers waited with interest as the Taoiseach spoke. With the wide variety of ring-tones available, the protesters could have been innovative in their choice of jingles.
Some Michael Jackson: “Don’t blame it on the builders/don’t blame it on the bankers/don’t blame it on the good times/blame it on the Biffo . . . ”
The protesters, in teacher conference fashion, were sprinkled around the hall. They stood silently, holding placards opposing cutbacks and calling for greater taxes on the wealthy. But no phones rang.
Pat the Cope’s personal bible gets frosty reception
Emmet Stagg was rummaging in a second hand bookshop in Kildare when he came across an old hardback copy of Paddy “The Cope” Gallagher’s autobiography.
It was signed inside the cover, with a dedication to a priest friend and dated 1948. My Storywas written by MEP Pat The Cope Gallagher's grandfather, detailing how he set up the co-op in Donegal, leading to "The Cope" name, which has gone down through the generations.
Emmet handed over the book to Pat before he departs next week for the new sitting of the European Parliament. The book, detailing among other things how Paddy brought rural electrification to Dungloe well before it reached other towns, has gone through a number of reprints since its initial publication.
“In the 1980s, I was presented with a copy by the speaker of the Icelandic parliament,” Pat recalls. “It had been translated into Icelandic, and he said that it was of great relevance to his country of small businesspeople, farmers and fishermen.”
Handing it over, he said: “That is our bible.” Given their current economic predicament, Paddy the Cope’s story is probably being dusted down again in Reykjavik.
Shatter erects barriers to Government Charges Bill
Dear God, we can only imagine the edition of Livelineif the latest levy in the Local Government Charges Bill saw the light of day. Fine Gael's Alan Shatter drew attention to it on Thursday.
"I am not quite sure why it is that we have the definition of a building, an essential definition with regard to residential property in later sections of the Bill, which includes a reference to an erection of any kind or part of an erection. I have been checking this out in the Oxford Compact Dictionary."
"The definition of 'erection' is a building or other upright structure. It seems to me one either refers to a structure or an erection and the only difference between the two in the Oxford Compact Dictionaryis that an erection is also described with regard to a certain physiological impact on the male species of certain events.
“I do not know what the Minister is at and I think it is deplorable he is not in the House to listen to the debate on this Bill. It is quite extraordinary, in a Bill which is seeking to impose a €200 charge, that apparently there is a need to make reference to an erection or part of an erection. What mindset produced that type of drafting? What is the reason for it? Is there some stealth impact intended by this tax, with a short amendment to this Bill at a later stage if not this evening, or some further amending piece of legislation? Is there some sort of activity that the Minister has in mind on which he wishes to impose a €200 charge? I do not know.” It was, er, withdrawn.
Charlie tries and fails to get a straight answer
From the “I’m glad I asked you that question” department, here’s the Ceann Comhairle’s simple answer to a recent question from Fine Gael’s Charlie Flanagan during a debate on the Land and Conveyancing Bill.
“I would like to deal with an issue before I put the amendment to the amendment.
“Deputy Charles Flanagan indicated earlier this evening that he was seeking an explanation of what happened to an amendment he had intended to propose during this debate . . . I asked the staff of my office to clarify precisely why Deputy Flanagan’s proposed amendments to amendment 39 were not on the third list of additional and substitute amendments.
“I understand that the Bills Office approached the Fine Gael party’s liaison officer, or contact point for all amendments, when the second substitute version of the Ministers amendment no 39 was circulated. The liaison officer was told at that point that Deputy Flanagan’s amendments should not be tabled to the latest version of the Minister’s amendment, which is now before the House. It appeared at that point that neither of Deputy Flanagan’s amendments to the amendment could be addressed to the latest version of the amendments.
“When it subsequently became clear that the second of Deputy Flanagan’s amendments to amendment no 39 could be addressed to the Minister’s amendment, the Bills Office approached the liaison officer again to ascertain whether, in such circumstances, Deputy Flanagan wished to table the second amendment to the amendment. The liaison officer did not revert to the office, however . . . I am sure Deputy Flanagan will appreciate that no discourtesy was intended in this case.” Fair enough, that’s clear now.