There was a constant shift in the balance of forces over 3½ years, writes DEAGLÁN DE BRÉADÚN, Political Correspondent
WHEN THE House assembled for the first time on June 14th, 2007, after the last general election, Fianna Fáil held 77 seats (down four from the previous Dáil), Fine Gael 51 (up 20); Labour 20 (no change), Greens six (no change), Progressive Democrats two (down six), Sinn Féin four (down one), Others five (down nine), ceann comhairle one (John O’Donoghue replacing Rory O’Hanlon).
Now, with a general election about to take place, Fianna Fáil has 72 TDs, Fine Gael 51, Labour 20, Green Party six, Sinn Féin five, Others seven. There are three vacant seats and the Ceann Comhairle is Séamus Kirk.
The 30th Dáil saw many shifts and changes, big and small, during its 3½-year existence. The Progressive Democrats had gone down from eight seats to six but remained a part of the incoming Fianna Fáil-led government, with Mary Harney staying in Cabinet as minister for health and children, although she has recently resigned and is not contesting this general election.
The Green Party was brought into the fold, with two Cabinet posts, party leader John Gormley as minister for the environment, heritage and local government and Eamon Ryan as minister for communications, energy and natural resources; both of them resigned recently when their party walked out of Government.
Led by taoiseach Bertie Ahern, starting his third successive term in office, the coalition had the support of four Independents in 2007: Beverley Flynn (who rejoined Fianna Fáil in April 2008), Finian McGrath (who later withdrew his support over the withdrawal of automatic medical cards from the over-70s and other issues), Jackie Healy-Rae and Michael Lowry.
Controversy over his evidence at the Mahon tribunal finally precipitated the resignation of Bertie Ahern as taoiseach, to be replaced without a contest on May 7th, 2008 by Brian Cowen, who appointed Brian Lenihan as Minister for Finance and Mary Coughlan as Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise.
Fianna Fáil lost one of its most experienced deputies when former cabinet minister Séamus Brennan died in July 2008. The byelection to replace him in Dublin South took place almost a year later and was won for Fine Gael by RTÉ economics editor George Lee.
Wicklow TD Joe Behan resigned from Fianna Fáil to become an Independent on October 17th, 2008, in protest over the budget, especially the proposal to means test the over-70s medical card.
The following month, Donegal North East deputy Jim McDaid lost the Fianna Fáil whip after abstaining in a Dáil vote on a health issue. He continued to support the Government but was absent from the House a good deal of the time.
In January 2009, Independent TD for Dublin Central Tony Gregory died and his election agent, councillor Maureen O’Sullivan, won the ensuing byelection the following June.
Fianna Fáil lost another Dáil representative in June 2009 when Pat “the Cope” Gallagher was elected as a member of the European Parliament for Ireland North West. His Dáil seat in Donegal South West remained vacant until Sinn Féin’s Senator Pearse Doherty obtained a ruling from the High Court in November that the delay offended the “terms and spirit” of the Constitution.
The erosion of the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party went a stage further on August 5th, 2009, when its TDs in Sligo-North Leitrim – Eamon Scanlon and Jimmy Devins – resigned the whip over cuts to cancer services in Sligo General Hospital, although both of them continued to vote solidly with the Government.
On October 13th, 2009, following a lengthy succession of newspaper reports on expenses incurred during overseas trips, Fianna Fáil TD for Kerry South and former minister John O’Donoghue resigned as ceann comhairle of the Dáil, to be replaced by his party colleague from Louth, deputy Séamus Kirk. O’Donoghue went to the backbenches.
The dissolution of the PDs finally took effect on November 20th, 2009. Mary Harney and Noel Grealish both became Independent TDs.
Only eight months after his byelection triumph for Fine Gael in Dublin South, George Lee caused shock when he resigned on February 8th last year. The byelection to replace him was never held.
On March 23rd, Fianna Fáil minister for arts, sport and tourism Martin Cullen resigned on health grounds. The Waterford byelection to replace him in the Dáil never took place.
Last June, Tipperary South TD Mattie McGrath lost the Fianna Fáil party whip when he voted against a Bill to ban stag hunting.
Fianna Fáil TD for Donegal North East Dr Jim McDaid, resigned his seat on November 2nd. No byelection was held but, on November 26th, Pearse Doherty took Pat “the Cope” Gallagher’s seat in Donegal South West.
Movement in and out of Fianna Fáil continued right up to the last minute: in January, Sligo-North Leitrim TDs Eamon Scanlon and Jimmy Devins rejoined the party and Mattie McGrath from Tipperary South resigned to become an Independent.