Dail Sketch/Frank McNally: It was no great surprise yesterday to learn that Labour had prepared draft "legislation" relating to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea
The proposed "Bill", explained Pat Rabbitte, would address the system whereby "a vessel" could be arbitrarily re-registered, often in places with which it had little connection, but with stark implications for employment practices.
We could see where he was coming from with this. Ever since Bertie Ahern re-flagged himself last year, registering with the Socialist International in London, Labour TDs have had reason to fear for their jobs.
The threat appeared to recede slightly at the weekend when Mr Ahern took down the red flag and hoisted a green one, this time reincorporating his party in the GPO Dublin (1916). Now it was Sinn Féin's turn to worry. But clearly no one is safe in the shark-infested waters of Irish politics, and you couldn't blame Labour for trying to curb piracy.
Surprisingly, it turned out that the legislation was not just metaphorical, and Mr Rabbitte really did have a Bill - one that would stop companies such as Irish Ferries from adopting foreign flags of convenience with a view to replacing their Irish workforces with cheaper alternatives. The Labour leader was deadly serious. When he invited the Taoiseach to take his measure "on board", the pun was completely unintentional.
Mr Ahern is always open to new ideas and he promised to look at the Labour Bill, but he said it was the Government's legal advice that measures to curb re-flagging would be difficult. He agreed with Mr Rabbitte that there were "grave dangers for social development" in a situation where employers could get rid of Irish workers and replace them with cheaper imports from eastern Europe.
He agreed too that the Irish Ferries issue lay behind Ictu's decision not to enter talks just now on a new partnership deal, but there was little he could do.
"I have said what I have said and there is no need to say it again," he said.
"Words are cheap," snapped Joe Higgins, who was apparently unfamiliar with the cost of legal advice. Mr Ahern reminded him that the Government had such advice and that it suggested legislation might be unconstitutional. Undaunted, the Socialist Party TD wanted to know which part of Bunreacht na hÉireann promoted "slavery".
The Taoiseach could at least comfort himself that his performance on Leaders Questions attracted a healthy attendance on the Government benches. Mr Ahern is known to have been exercised on occasion by the poor turn-out of his party's TDs, but a whopping 25 made it into the house yesterday.
Maybe the Chief Whip had threatened to replace them with cheaper substitutes from eastern Europe.