I move: That Dáil Éireann has confidence in the Ceann Comhairle, Verona Murphy T.D. As we begin this debate, I hope members of the Opposition will allow others to be heard and will not engage in the systematic barracking we have seen in recent months. This is an extremely serious debate that goes to the heart of a range of fundamental issues about how this democratic Parliament operates. It is profoundly regrettable that this debate is being held today. There is nothing in the behaviour of the Ceann Comhairle that justifies the Opposition's attempt to remove her. It is the sad culmination of an escalating two-month-long campaign of aggression and disruption by much of the Opposition. It is a campaign during which we have heard wild denunciations, the blockading of basic democratic business and the growing intimidation of elected representatives. It is a campaign of aggression and disruption that is wildly disproportionate to any issue at hand. It has, at its core, a demand that the minority should have the right to import mob politics into this Chamber. Having given us scenes last week that had never before been recorded in 106 years of this democratic Parliament, the Opposition decided it would seek the Ceann Comhairle's head. Having broken every single rule of this House, having shouted down business, having started to chant and abuse others, having refused even to allow the democratically elected chairperson of this House to be heard, Opposition Members are now claiming it is she who should be censured. The Opposition is trying to manufacture a claim that it was actually the Ceann Comhairle who behaved inappropriately and that she is the person in this House who should be attacked. The arsonists are demanding that we censure the fire brigade. Let no one be in any doubt that there is not one bit of good faith in the arguments we have been hearing from Sinn Féin and the parts of the Opposition that have joined it in its aggression.
Sentiment score: -0.23
Over the past 106 years, the Standing Orders and structures of daily business of Dáil Éireann have changed regularly and often quite radically. There has never been a requirement for all parties to agree a change before it can be implemented. There has never before been a debate as long and as disruptive as there has been on these changes - changes that will mean the Irish Opposition will retain a greater share of speaking time and more opportunities to question the Government than any other Opposition in Europe. No rights are being infringed. The opening of every day will continue to be dominated by questions from the Opposition, and the Opposition will continue to have a share of speaking time well beyond what is proportionate to its mandate. Yet, we continue to hear escalating and hysterical claims about democracy being undermined. The people who come in here to shout at and intimidate others believe they can lecture us about democracy. The cynicism of this was shown by no fewer than three Sinn Féin sources who confirmed to a journalist in recent days that they would step back from continuing with a programme of rolling disruption of the Dáil because "they believe the damage to the coalition has been done". The Opposition's true motivation has never been about opposing giving Deputies who support the Government a slightly improved chance to be heard. It is part of their strategy to destroy the ability of others to form a stable Government and implement its agenda in Parliament. Further proof of this can be found in the fact that the largest party in opposition is being quite open about its strategy. Before the Dáil met, journalists were told that Sinn Féin intended to be more aggressive in this Dáil. There would be less trying to look like an alternative government and a much greater focus on total opposition. Sinn Féin's strategy of regularly collapsing the democratically elected Assembly in Northern Ireland is one it feels has worked and has helped it to overtake other parties there. The assumption was that the party would be able to get the media to accept its framing of everything always being the fault of others. Sinn Féin believes that the dominance of briefings in Leinster House on news coverage would enable it to avoid having to answer any questions. That is why its Minister for enterprise in Belfast resigned and came down to oversee operations in Leinster House. The impact of the new strategy-----
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-----has been seen here every day.
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Day after day, it has become harder to be heard if Sinn Féin wants to have a go. The strategy has been implemented by means of the rigid discipline and control of elected representatives which is unique to Sinn Féin. We saw this last week when Deputy Carthy left his usual place to sit near the back and co-ordinate disruptions with Deputy Doherty, who led proceedings at the front.
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Having collapsed the business of this democratically elected Parliament, Sinn Féin then did what it always does; it played the victim and blamed others for the scenes it had planned and orchestrated. Having broken every rule governing behaviour in the Dáil and making it impossible to hear anything, the party is not only disputing the Ceann Comhairle's ruling, it also disputing the detailed explanation of the Clerk of the Dáil. If the Opposition wants to be taken seriously during this debate, the first thing it should do is acknowledge that its behaviour made the Ceann Comhairle's job almost impossible.
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It should also acknowledge that the simple fact is that the majority of those in this Parliament supported the motion before the House, while the Opposition ignored every basic rule and democratic principle in trying to block it. It is important that everyone understands that this new aggression has been extended to other areas. Until the start of this Dáil, the tradition had been that new Deputies would be given the space and goodwill to settle into their new role. Respect for others has been a hallmark of this Parliament in the past. Unfortunately, I have been told by a number of new Deputies that they have been subject to verbal abuse by supporters of certain Opposition parties. This has been made worse by the refusal of Opposition leaders to restrain their members and call for basic civility. We all know that public representatives need to be more careful today than in the past, but there is a risk of this situation getting much worse when you have individual TDs being attacked for supporting the formation of a Government and when we hear wild claims about jackboot democracy and the silencing of the opponents of that Government.
Sentiment score: -0.18
If we continue to see this extreme escalation in the rhetoric deployed in debating every issue, the change to our political culture will be permanent and deeply destructive. It is extremely sad that two parties which claimed to the electorate that they are centre left have been full participants in Sinn Féin's cynical strategy of escalating rhetoric and disruption. They cannot even bring themselves to admit that mob behaviour on the part of Deputies is unacceptable. This is very stark when compared with past practice, and how the Labour Party in particular understood the difference between democratic opposition and destructive opposition. Last week, a Sinn Féin spokesman said on Virgin Media that Leaders' Questions was set up at the foundation of the State to hold the Government to account. Leaders' Question were, of course, introduced not in 1919 or 1922 but as recently as 2001. The Labour Party opposed the introduction of Leaders' Questions because it felt that the alternative of a free-for-all on the Order of Business was better for the Opposition. The party also questioned the then Ceann Comhairle's rulings. It strongly opposed the changes but understood that its response should be proportionate. The Government of the day went with the introduction of Leaders' Questions following a two-hour debate. The contrast with how the Labour Party and the Social Democrats have now co-operated as junior partners in Sinn Féin's strategy of aggression and disruption is striking. As well as the disruption of Dáil business, the extreme nature of many of the denunciations of Government are not harmless. On a near daily basis, there are attacks calling us complicit in genocide, destroyers of democracy and warmongers determined to send Irish young people to die in European wars. This type of extreme rhetoric and the mob disruption of parliamentary business must not be normalised.
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Over the past few months, I have talked with many other European leaders about the growth of extreme politics, and the impact it is having on their parliaments. The disruptions we have seen here-----
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-----and the attack on the Ceann Comhairle are very much part of a pattern where extreme parties have sought to undermine public faith in the idea that anything can be achieved. The one consistent message from every country is to stand firmly against this behaviour. If it is accepted as normal, it will be destructive of parliamentary democracy. This Dáil is still in its relatively early stages. Our ability to fulfil our mandate is at stake. Let me be very clear on behalf of my party and on that of the majority of Deputies. We will not stay silent as others try to intimidate this House and its chairperson. They will not succeed in imposing rule by minority. They will not block the democratic business of this House, roaring and chanting and then blaming everyone else for their behaviour. In the 106 years of Dáil Éireann, issues of dramatically higher importance than the changes implemented last week have been dealt with without collapsing Dáil business and without a cynical attempt to blame the Ceann Comhairle for preplanned and co-ordinated disruption. Each of us who has received the great personal honour of being elected to serve the people in this place has an obligation to leave the tactics of disruption and aggression outside. This applies to the Opposition as much as those who support the Government, particularly as they have greater opportunities to speak and ask questions than is found elsewhere in the democratic world. Our country is facing enormous threats, threats which may be felt in every community and household - tariffs, housing, disability and so forth. We simply do not have time to waste on cynical strategies of aggression and disruption.
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We do not have the time to waste on this effort to remove the Ceann Comhairle because she would not bow down before an Opposition which demands that the minority have the right to veto our business. This attempt at what I would say is a strategy of aggression and disruption will fail. Those of us on this side are willing to make this Dáil work. There has to be a will on all sides to make it work.
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The Government is up for doing that and will work day and night to make it happen. We will then be able to get on with doing the people's business.
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