All politics are local. And we will have yet another example of just how local when the Trinity Bill reaches the Dail shortly. First, though, the complicated legislation has to pass a final hurdle in the Seanad - the report stage on Tuesday.
It's had such a long and complicated history (which is far from over), that many believe Trinity is sorry it refused to accept Niamh Bhreathneath's 1997 Universities Act in the first place. But the college, being 400 years old, maintained it was not subject to parliamentary legislation and while initially refusing to accept the appointment of outside representatives to its board at all, later, in the face of government insistence, introduced a Private Bill whereby it changes its charter itself. This unusual procedure, the third such Bill in the last two decades, came before a special committee chaired by FG Senator, Maurice Manning, and should have progressed smoothly but for the objections of TCD economist Sean Barrett who opposed any outside appointments to the TCD board. Big legal fees ensued and, although the college won, it has to pay costs. The Taxing Master is now involved.
The Bill will pass the Seanad all right next week, despite PD amendments objecting to various aspects (indeed Des O'Malley told the Manning committee one section of the bill had "judicial review" written all over it), since virtually all others will vote in favour. Then it goes to the Dail, where it will face yet more pressure of an unusual sort. Two Meath deputies, Minister for Environment, Noel Dempsey and FG leader, John Bruton, are likely to bring up the Book of Kells.
It is expected they will use the occasion to exert pressure on the TCD authorities to release the priceless book occasionally to go to where they say it belongs - Kells. The Scottish may be next. They say it should be in Iona, where it was created.