Dáil sketch: a minute can be a long time in politics

The Seanad hit the right note. Dáil Éireann made a meal out of the occasion. Although to be fair to a lot of TDs, this was the Government’s idea.

Both houses of the Oireachtas observed a minute's silence as a mark of respect to those who were killed and injured in Friday's terrorist attacks in Paris. Members of the Upper House and Lower House warmly applauded the French ambassador to Ireland when he visited their respective chambers.

Proceedings were understandably muted in Kildare Street yesterday. Yet – and it is the indomitable people of Paris who are bravely pointing the way – life goes on. But not in the political sphere, if the Coalition can help it.

Since the clock began winding down on this Fine Gael/Labour administration, the Government has taken advantage of every opportunity to avoid accounting for itself in parliament.

This involves wiping the normal Dáil schedule whenever the chance arises in order to make statements on an issue of major national importance, such as the publication of a national plan on something or the launch of a progress report on something else or the need to set up an investigation into something fishy.

The decks are cleared. No Leaders’ Questions. No questions to An Taoiseach. No chance for the Government to mess up. It may only be for a day (on one occasion, the Dáil took a break from normal business for a week so Ministers and backbenchers could praise themselves), but it is one more day free from unwelcome scrutiny.

Respectful silence

Is it in poor taste to suggest they did it again yesterday? We wanted to see our Taoiseach and political leaders speak for us in the wake of the Paris atrocities. We wanted our Oireachtas to stand for us in respectful silence and send a message to our friends in France.

Which they did, but followed by four hours of “statements” of the obvious.

The Dáil doesn’t sit until the afternoon on Tuesday, the first day back after the weekend. In these exceptional circumstances, perhaps the start of yesterday’s sitting could have been brought forward to accommodate requests to speak on the terrible events of the weekend?

Unfortunately, most Ministers were busy in the morning, with a big flurry of activity on the good news announcements front necessitating the cancellation of questions from Opposition leaders to Enda Kenny, among other things.

About half of all the TDs in Leinster House were present for the minute’s silence. And after an hour or so of statements, many of them had drifted away. By the end of the allotted time, speakers were more or less talking to themselves.

Still though, as it neared 7.30pm, it was heartening to hear Minister of State for the Diaspora Jimmy Deenihan solemnly declare that having listened to the many contributions over the past hours “it is abundantly clear that this House stands four square behind the French people in its time of national crisis”. It took an awful long time for the penny to drop.

Opposition ´deputies were reluctant to say anything about the scheduling of the statements in case they might be accused of trying to score political points at a time of such tragedy and sorrow.

One TD, who didn’t want to be quoted, shrugged his shoulders and said “that’s probably the most productive minute this Dáil will see between now and the general election”.

Up the stairs and across the landing to the Seanad, it was a different story.

The day began with Maíria Cahill taking her seat with the Labour Party as the Seanad's newest member. To applause from all sides, she was escorted in to the Upper House by chief usher Colm O'Rourke and Labour leader in the Seanad Ivana Bacik.

Watching her mammy from the visitors’ gallery was her five-year-old daughter Saorlaith, along with Cahill’s proud parents Noreen and Philip.

Independent Senator Jillian Van Turnhout welcomed little Saorlaith to the chamber. “It’s lovely to see children in the Seanad,” she said. “Actual children.”

We know what she meant.

All Senators spoke briefly but eloquently about the events in Paris before moving on to other issues. When the ambassador arrived, Cathaoirleach Paddy Burke announced his presence and the Senators rose and applauded him.

Same-sex couples

David Norris was happy to congratulate the same-sex couples who had just become the first to be married in Ireland, while expressing a certain ennui with the continuing fuss over the new marriage law. "I think we are possibly at the end of it now. I sincerely hope so."

The subject which exercised Senators from all parties and none was last week's publication of a story in the Irish Independent about allegations of child sexual abuse against an unnamed former minister.

“It is a very serious charge and was leaked, presumably by the Garda. It is very shocking stuff,” Norris said, calling for the introduction of a privacy bill.

Cahill was last to speak, making her first contribution. She asked the leader of the House to consider having a debate on the issue of sexual offences and abuse. She noted Saorlaith was unusually quiet, before looking over to see why. “She has, in fact, fallen asleep.”

A smart young lady, it must be said.