Good morning,
What do the Statler and Waldorf muppets, the NASA Webb telescope and a McDonald’s Happy Meal all have in common?
A gold star for those who heard all three being mentioned yesterday evening in the Dáil chamber during Sinn Féin’s failed attempt to pass a motion of no confidence in the Government.
No one in Government or Opposition really expected the motion to succeed and it left many wondering what exactly the point was, besides an opportunity to trade insults about heckling muppets or apparent intergalactic levels of arrogance.
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But the point of it is quite clear: it gave Sinn Féin the opportunity to deride the Coalition over an extended period of time in the Dáil, boost that message out to their supporters and grind the Government’s gears while they are at it. It’s just another way to turn the screw.
In the summer of 2020, Sinn Féin promised to be one of the most vocal Opposition parties in the history of the State and as they see it, they are following through on that promise.
TDs on the Government benches were not lying down for an easy kicking, however, with some strident performances from Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe and Taoiseach Micheál Martin.
But while backbenchers and Ministers tried to bring some vim and vigour, Sinn Féin TD Eoin Ó Broin brought the debate back to the figures as he fired through the stats on record levels of homelessness. It is an open sore given the slow progress in eradicating homelessness and getting houses built.
In his speech, Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney admitted that housing is probably the biggest issue facing the tripartite Coalition. That was true in the summer of 2020 and it remains true today. It will be true on the next election day, too.
Despite efforts from both sides to inject some life into their contributions, the whole thing felt halfhearted. Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald was on her way to the exit before the votes were even counted.
As the debate wrapped up, Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys dismissed the motion as “the greatest load of codology”.
In the end, the Government commanded the support of 85 TDs to the Opposition’s 66 — a very comfortable win. They were supported by a number of Independent TDs: Cathal Berry, Sean Canney, Michael Lowry and Peter Fitzpatrick. Marc MacSharry also gave his support, as did Joe McHugh.
Another interesting aspect of the political shenanigans was the decision by the two exiled Green TDs Neasa Hourigan and Patrick Costello to give their backing. They said they had “come to an agreement with the Coalition” to vote in favour of the motion. Many would have expected that they would have been keen to get back into the parliamentary party but the fact an “agreement” was needed at the last minute shows that there may still be danger ahead after the recess. But the Government will take its win and bask in it for a while. What’s rare is wonderful after all.
Read all about what went down last night in this report from Sarah Burns.
And here’s Miriam Lord, calling it as it is.
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Kicking the can down the road
Some 10 months after receiving the report of the Future of Media Commission, it was belatedly published yesterday followed by a press conference in Dublin Castle.
There are a few headline measures planned: a new media fund which could be worth as much as €30 million per year, new plans for increased diversity, and recommendations for a reduced or zero-VAT rate for newspapers and digital publications.
The report outlines how all media are facing major financial challenges. One of the eye-catching recommendations was to abolish the licence fee from 2024. The commission want to see this replaced by exchequer funding or more specifically an “explicit taxation approach”. This could see either a stand-alone media tax or a core expenditure item which is funded out of general taxation.
But the Government said the licence fee will not be abolished. There were two reasons for this: Ministers feel it would be exceptionally expensive for the State, and there is anxiety about the independence of media and potentially having to cut funding in future, which would be deeply unpopular.
Instead, the Government says the licence fee will be overhauled and that compliance will be ramped up. This is despite the fact the commission said it would add a massive burden to the courts services “with no guarantee of success.”
Instead of making a definitive decision about the future funding of public service media, the Government has kicked the issue to a technical group who will take their time looking at all the issues the commission raised, whether that be the dismissed idea of a broadcasting levy on each home or the suggested idea of a media tax. It’s not the only difficult decision the Government is putting off: the decision on the pension age is still unresolved.
Here is a piece detailing all of the commission’s main findings.
And here is Laura Slattery’s analysis.
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Playbook
Dáil Éireann
There is a busy day ahead in the Dáil.
Private Members’ Business is scheduled for 10am with a Bill from People Before Profit-Solidarity on rent reduction. Leaders’ Questions are up at noon. The Taoiseach will take questions shortly after 1pm which will be immediately followed by Post European Council Statements and Questions and Answers.
Government Business is up at 4.54pm with Sick Leave Bill 2022, specifically amendments from the Seanad.
At 6.24pm the Electoral Reform Bill 2022 is up followed by the Payment of Wages Tips and Gratuities Bill. There is a voting block at 10.24pm followed by Topic Issues a half an hour later. The Dáil adjourns at 11.42pm.
You can find the detailed agenda here.
Seanad
There is a lengthy agenda in the Seanad, too.
Commencement Matters are up at 10am followed by the Order of Business at 11.30am.
At 12.25pm the controversial Bill to give homeowners affected by Mica access to an enhanced grant scheme is up. At 4.45pm the Communications (Retention of Data) Bill 2022 is up. This legislation will also allow gardaí to obtain ‘quick freeze’ orders on data during the course of serious crime investigations where person is identified as a suspect.
At 7.30pm, Private Members’ Business is on the agenda with a motion regarding the night time economy from Sinn Féin Senators.
The Seanad adjourns at 9.30pm.
The full agenda is here.
Committees
At 9.30am, the Joint Committee on Health will hold a discussion on integrated eye care with representatives from the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital.
At 10am, the Joint Committee on European Union Affairs will have an engagement on food security in the European Union with Michael Scannell, Deputy Director-General for Agriculture and Rural Development in the European Commission.
At 11am, the Joint Committee on Gender Equality will launch an interim report on constitutional change.
At 1.30pm, the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications will hold a discussion on the Government’s draft electric vehicle charging infrastructure strategy with officials from the Department of Transport. Representatives from Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and representatives from ESB will also be present.
The best of the rest can be found here: https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/committees/schedule/
