ANALYSIS:John O'Donoghue's cross-party popularity as Dáil chairman seems to have made his position a secure one, writes HARRY McGEE
THE MOST notable aspect of the letter of clarification that Ceann Comhairle John O’Donoghue sent to Dáil deputies on Monday was it was not a letter of clarification.
O’Donoghue made it clear in the first three paragraphs that he was not going to engage with the controversy over some of the extraordinary items of expenditure he and his wife Kate Ann racked up during trips abroad, including €900 a night hotels, €250 water taxis and €10,000 bills for limousine hire.
Only in the concluding paragraphs did he address the issues, and then in a roundabout way. He acknowledged that some of the costs seemed high. But his expression of regret was qualified by excusing factors. He said he was not aware of the detail of the expenditure and argued it was “in accordance with Department of Finance guidelines”.
The reaction of the two main Opposition parties to the letter was also notable – and almost astounding. Here was a senior figure from the party that had been in Government for 10 years, embroiled in a major controversy over extravagant spending that could not be justified.
While Fine Gael and Labour described the apology contained in the letter as inadequate, astonishingly, neither party was minded to do what many expected them to do: call for his resignation. Fine Gael’s Enda Kenny said he was not calling for O’Donoghue’s resignation; Labour’s stance was illustrated by the fact that it was not party leader Eamon Gilmore who responded. Likewise, neither the Greens nor the two former PD TDs expressed any concern. A Green source said that the party decided when entering Government not to be the moral watchdogs of Fianna Fáil and that remained the situation. The only party that is willing to run with the issue is Sinn Féin. Party whip Aengus Ó Snodaigh will raise it on the Order of Business today.
Why the reticence to question his tenability? Sources in Fine Gael and Labour say it boils down to the fact that O’Donoghue is an excellent chairman. His disposition towards Opposition parties has been much more accommodating than that of his predecessor Rory O’Hanlon, who was often accused of being partisan.
“I have been here since 1982 and he is the best Ceann Comhairle I have seen,” said one Labour source. In Fine Gael, the sentiment is similar: “From our perspective, he has been operating very acceptably.
“He lost the plot on the first day in the chair [in 2007, when he clashed with Enda Kenny] but since then he has been very reasonable to us,” said a source.
On the face of it, it could be taken as an inconsistent and slightly self-serving stance. Both use the (rather weak) justification that the huge travel bills were racked up during his previous job as a minister and, as such, do not touch on his present duties. They also argue that it would not be totally fair to single him out.
“It is evident that this was part of the culture of Fianna Fáil at the time and that he was not the only minister who was doing it,” said the Labour source.
And while it is a political aeon – 12 years – since Fine Gael and Labour were in power, that culture might have predated Fianna Fáil-led governments.
The controversy has generated intense media scrutiny of the arrangements put in place for O’Donoghue when Bertie Ahern appointed him Ceann Comhairle in 2007. Unlike some of his predecessors, who had two staff specifically assigned to help them on constituency and other matters, O’Donoghue has a complement of six staff. Some four secretaries look after constituency matters in Kerry South; he has a personal assistant and also a special adviser, Dan Collins, who is a political appointee drawing an annual salary of €90,000.
Collins advises on the new House of the Oireachtas Commission communication strategy, designed to make Dáil and Seanad more accessible and familiar to the public. The programme includes open days for the public in Leinster House. Collins also plays a role on behalf of O’Donoghue in the constituency.
The extent and nature of O’Donoghue’s constituency work has also proved contentious. He has been more active than his predecessors. The South Kerry Independent TD Jackie Healy Rae yesterday accused him of lobbying on behalf of local publicans on the drink-driving limit but the Ceann Comhairle’s office insisted he merely passed on correspondence to the relevant Minister.
O’Donoghue has found himself subject to continuous public and media criticism on this matter for over six weeks. However, unless a major new allegation emerges, it appears there is little appetite from either Government or Opposition to move against him.
Editorial comment: page 15