Howlin goes Greek as Burton talks of water protesters with fancy phones and tablets

Minister for Public Expenditure and sometimes Greek scholar Brendan Howlin took time off from grappling with budget arithmetic to answer ministerial questions in the Dáil yesterday.

The mood was tetchy from early on. Fianna Fáil's Sean Fleming complained that proceedings were delayed because not enough Government TDs had turned up to create a quorum. He questioned their commitment to Dáil reform and apologised to television viewers.

The mood was bleak on the Fianna Fáil benches after reading earlier that the party was down five points in an Irish Times/Ipsos MRBI poll. Nevertheless, Fleming was intent on going for the political jugular.

He asked the Minister to ensure greater transparency and independence in the appointments made to State boards.

Howlin referred to the Government’s recent decision that all appointments must be advertised openly.

An unimpressed Fleming said the Minister or any of his Cabinet colleagues could still appoint "one of his or her cronies'' under the new system. He read the names of nine recent appointees into the record, claiming they were all "former Labour Party councillors, candidates or special advisers''.

Press officer

Fleming’s tone was less than complimentary. The Minister bristled. “P J

Mara

,

Celia Larkin

, ’’ snapped Howlin, referring to a former Fianna Fáil press officer and the one-time partner of former Fianna Fáil taoiseach

Bertie Ahern

who had enjoyed patronage.

Fleming hit back, saying that another Government associate, Des Geraghty, had been reappointed to the board of the Central Bank.

Howlin claimed Fleming was of the view that anybody involved in a political party was a crony, and that one was somehow debarred from membership of a State board having stood for election.

Then the Minister’s reading of Greek history, obviously a way of escaping budgetary complexities, revealed itself.

“I refer the Deputy to the etymology of the word ‘democracy’, which comes from the demos – the people,’’ he said. “In Athens the people who were not involved in the political system were called ‘idiotes’, from which we get the word ‘idiot’.’’

Government TDs, clearly happy with the Minister’s performance, looked on in wonder and awe.

Later Tánaiste and Labour leader Joan Burton was in equally combative mood when she took Opposition leaders' questions. Unlike Fianna Fáil, she had some pleasant early-morning reading given that the poll showed her to be the most popular party leader.

She had some strong words for Independent TD Joan Collins, who said some people would be unable to pay water charges and protests against them were spontaneous.

Burton said had received many complaints from people who found themselves intimidated by those taking over their estates.

Expensive phones

“All the protesters I have seen seem to have expensive phones, tablets and video cameras,’’ said the Tánaiste. She claimed that a core part of the campaign was to video every second.

“It is Irish Water, The Movie,’’ said Independent TD Finian McGrath.

“Hollywood would be in the ha’penny place by comparison,’’ said Burton.

The focus will shift today to the political actors in the Dáil and Seanad byelections and the reaction of voters.

Fine Gael is hoping that the Seanad epic will not turn out to be a tragicomedy. Fianna Fáil is nervous about whether its candidate in Roscommon-South Leitrim will be the leading man. Sinn Féin is anticipating an Oscar in Dublin South West.

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