Dail Sketch/Marie O'Halloran: It was "taunting teacher" time again in the Dáil - the teacher being Tánaiste Mary Harney and the taunting being about her non-attendance at the Irish Nurses' Organisation conference.
It is by now standard Dáil practice that when teacher Harney stands in for school principal Taoiseach it becomes health questions hour.
Senior student, Fine Gael's Enda Kenny, was concerned that events at Drogheda hospital could be replicated in other hospitals "if the circle is not closed". It was an out-of-order question. "There are many ways the deputy can raise this issue, including a question to the Tánaiste," the Ceann Comhairle pointed out.
But the Tánaiste is going to America soon," the Fine Gael leader complained.
"She's afraid of the INO," quipped Independent TD Finian McGrath.
Labour leader Pat Rabbitte suggested mischievously "would it not be a more productive use of the Tánaiste's time to spend an hour and a half at the INO conference", rather than with the Fianna Fáil backbenchers.
It was time for teacher to bite back. "I was looking forward last year to debating with the Labour spokeswoman at the Siptu conference, but she was not there. People cannot go to every conference," she said.
Labour's spokeswoman Liz McManus took the bait. "I do not know what the Tánaiste is talking about, but she should withdraw that remark," she asserted.
"I am talking about the Cork conference where I expected a debate with deputy McManus," said Mary.
"I was at the Cork conference," Liz insisted. "Not when I was there debating it," Mary continued to taunt.
"I have never, ever refused an invitation to debate anything with the Tánaiste," Liz insisted. "I have been to seven nurses' conferences this year," Mary boasted.
"My problem is that I cannot get a debate on health. The Tánaiste keeps running away," Liz retorted.
Socialist TD Joe Higgins moved the focus to history. In a debate on the Corrib pipeline, Minister Éamon Ó Cuív, grandson of Fianna Fáil founder Eamon deValera, rejected criticism that the Government gave terms that were "far too favourable" to firms involved in exploration.
Dev Óg asked if the Opposition really expected the State to use taxpayers' money to get directly involved in exploration.
This was just too much for Joe. He snarled: "If your forebears showed the same cowardice as you, we wouldn't have an electricity service."
