Sexism charge by Tánaiste main spark in depleted chamber

DÁIL SKETCH:SEXISM, REAL or perceived, Cabinet compositions and the election of a mayor for Dublin were the flavour of the Dáil at the end of another exciting week for Irish democracy.

Perhaps exhausted from the travails of the week, which saw the Government lose another minister in Trevor Sargent, the Coalition’s attendance in chamber for the Order of Business was depleted to just 17 TDs. Some 42 Opposition members took their seats for the start of the day’s proceedings.

Ironically, Trevor himself was the sole Green representative on the Government benches.

The usual ribbing started gently enough when Fine Gael’s Phil Hogan raised the latest Leinster House issue, namely the speculation as to who will be in or out in a Cabinet reshuffle.

He asked the Tánaiste “will the Taoiseach move you out of the Department of Enterprise, or move the department”.

Mary Coughlan, smiling as he raised the issue, gave that usual response of TDs when asked about potential promotion, demotion, or sideways motions: that the deputy “knows these matters are a matter for the Taoiseach”.

Phil had earlier mentioned an Opposition favourite – the Green party proposal for an elected mayor of Dublin. The Tánaiste referred to the Minister’s publication of a “general scheme of the legislation” and the promise of consultations.

The Fine Gael man described it as a “toothless quango”, but his party colleague Michael Ring had another theory. The man who went to the Four Courts to challenge the ending of the dual mandate shouted over to the Government benches that “you’re sorry you let it go”. To roars of appreciation from his colleagues he said “we’ll have a mayor but there will be no horse because there’ll be no power and more expense to the taxpayer”.

Then there was Government praise and clapping for a blushing Tommy Broughan when his party leader Eamon Gilmore raised the row over SR Technics, jobs and Dublin airport.

When the Tánaiste said she had listened to all the transport committee’s proceedings when it brought in all the parties to the Dublin airport controversy she praised Deputy Broughan for his “very considered and good” contribution”.

Cue clapping from Fianna Fáil and blushes from Tommy .

The allegation of sexism came from the Tánaiste when Fine Gael’s Charlie Flanagan mentioned Anglo Irish Bank and noted that it was a year since the Garda fraud squad entered the bank in a full blaze of publicity, but nobody had been prosecuted since. When Flanagan then asked about legislation on reforming company law, Coughlan said the forthcoming Bill was “huge legislation” and was being worked on. It was when the Fine Gael TD retorted that “it’s too big for you”, that the Tánaiste took umbrage.

She said angrily “If you wish to throw a condescending, sexist remark across the House, that is fine”, and “I would expect more from you after all these years in the House”.

The Fine Gael benches looked bemused and Olivia Mitchell asked “where was it sexist?”.