DRAPIER: Back in 1982, when Maggie Thatcher dispatched her ships to oust the generals from the Falklands, the EU met to discuss what to do. Sanctions were imposed. Ireland went along with the decision.
A few weeks later, Thatcher took out the Belgrano. The threat of force became the actuality of bloody battle. Charlie Haughey changed his mind, and Ireland opted out of the sanctions.
War is a visceral thing. It gets you in the gut. It brings out prejudices and partisan feelings hitherto suppressed. Drapier wants to use the cloak of anonymity to confess to feelings which he would not admit to in public.
Drapier wants the Americans to win, but he wants to see them get a bloody nose along the way. Nobody in Leinster House will say so in public, but lots of us think the same way.
It's not that any of us want to see American teenagers dying in the desert. Far from it. One of the American POWs said on television that he didn't come to Iraq to kill people. "I just fix things that are broke," he said.
But Drapier for one would be in no way sorry if Rumsfeld, Perle, Chaney, Wolfowitz and the other cheerleaders of the American Right could be put in harm's way in the desert or made to take their chances in a Baghdad market.
Maybe it's the David-and-Goliath thing. There is something in our national psyche which will always support David even if we know that he's a seriously nasty bit of goods. When Goliath behaves like the bully on the block, then the battle for hearts and minds is no contest.
Bertie was pursued on several occasions in the Dáil this week about Shannon. Pat Rabbitte, Trevor Sargent and Joe Higgins all had a go, but all of us know that the heat is gone from the issue now that the war has started. But equally we know that Ireland's neutrality, for long an endangered species, is now dead and gone. The protesters who nabbed Eamon Ó Cuiv early in the week know it, and to judge from the look on his face so, too, does Dev Óg.
Pat Rabbitte asked Bertie on three occasions to reject the Bush doctrine of "pre-emptive war. Bertie waffled. Say no more.
However long it takes, the outcome of the war will be disastrous, and not just for those who die. Relations between the Muslim world and the US, between America and Europe and within the EU are fraught, if not worse.
It will take a long time to put right. In the meantime Drapier prays for a quick end to the war, and remains prey to gut feelings he would rather suppress.
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No contest for parliamentary star of the week. Michael O’Leary of Ryanair is one of those guys you either love or hate – and Drapier is of the latter category. But, like him or not, his performance before the Transport Committee this week was sensational. On the face of it Mick should
have been on a sticky wicket. He was asked in to explain why Ryanair didn’t give refunds to passen gers who cancelled. In particular the commit tee wanted to know why taxes and charges were not refunded. Nobody expected O’Leary to be contrite. But his performance on the day was breathtakingly brash. No tie, designer stubble. bad language and a fluency which few in Leinster House can manage. He lambasted Aer Rianta, Aer
Lingus and Mary O’Rourke. He threw around statistics like confetti. The chairman, Eoin Ryan, looked worried from the start, but nonetheless did a good job in keeping the meeting on the rails. The FG man, Denis Naughten, played it softly-softly with O’Leary and threw up a few balls, which were
duly batted into the stand. Róisín Shortall of Labour was in much bolshier mood. She had that look in her eye, which made it clear that she regarded O’Leary as a nasty creature. She had obviously done her homework and
bowled a few goog-lies. But the O’Leary wicket was not for taking.Mick is a bit like an Irish version of Richard Branson, except that he has a preference for taxis rather than hot-air balloons. Which is not to say that he can’t manage a hell of a lot of hot air. His reasoning is often suspect and frequently off the wall. But, by God, he has style.
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Having suffered a war of attrition in the Seanad and in committee for several weeks, Charlie McCreevy finally brought the Freedom of Information Bill to the Dáil this week. The opposition, and Labour in particular, used every parliamentary tactic in the book to oppose the Bill – interruptions, delaying tactics, calling quorums. Drapier doesn’t doubt that Labour is genuinely opposed to the Bill. Eithne Fitzgerald introduced the 1997 Act, and the Labour guys reckon they own it. Fine Gael, too, seems to be genuine in its concerns. But the tactics used this week seemed just a little pathetic. In fairness to the Opposition, it’s hardly its fault. Drapier watched the war debate in the House of Commons a few weeks ago. It was striking just how often ministers gave way to interjections from the floor and engaged in real
debate. It’s a long time since the Dáil had a real debate, no matter what the issue. Eamon Ryan and John Deasy have a point when they complain about the script factory. It’s boring us all to death, and it’s not difficult to see why the public is turned off. Right at the start of the Dáil debate, Kevin Murphy
announced his retirement. Drapier has a lot of regard for the commissioner and will be sorry to see him go. He was a pain in the side of the establishment and regarded that as the essence of his job. Good luck to him.
Charlie McCreevy was quick to announce that he intends to propose Emily O’Reilly to replace Murphy. Emily is one of those armchair pol corrs who is rarely seen in Leinster House and doesn’t mix with politicians. Drapier has always thought of her as just a little bit prissy with a holier-than-thou streak to her. All of which probably means that she’s a good choice for the job.