The Taoiseach is hell-bent on upending the democratic functioning of the Dáil to protect his grubby deal with Deputy Michael Lowry. Today the Taoiseach will try to ram through unprecedented changes to Dáil rules to allow Deputy Lowry and his group of TDs to sit in Government and Opposition at the same time. These are TDs who have pledged to support his Government in good days and in bad, to use their own words. It is a farce and it is making a mockery of this Dáil. Frankly, the lengths to which the Taoiseach has gone with this brazen stroke are staggering. Let us put an end to the charade. The Michael Lowry group are Government TDs, plain and simple. They designated themselves as such when they helped to negotiate, write and agree the programme for Government. Their colleagues were rewarded with ministerial office. That is the reality. On 23 January, the Government gave its word that it would work for a solution acceptable to both Government and Opposition. Hildegarde Naughton, then Chief Whip, pledged in the Dáil to “work to secure agreement, as soon as possible and acceptable to Government and Opposition", but clearly the Taoiseach's word means nothing. He has gone back on his commitment and has made no genuine effort to find a resolution. Instead, he proposes to turn the Dáil inside out by allowing Government TDs access to the mechanisms which the actual Opposition uses to hold his Government to account. He wants the utterly absurd spectacle of Michael Lowry and his group taking Leaders' Questions and pretending to challenge the Government they are part of. This is a sham. The Taoiseach has dug in because he does not want to be accountable. His claim that this is all about speaking time for backbenchers is patently untrue. In fact, he wants to get rid of Taoiseach’s Questions on a Wednesday. Pull the other one, Taoiseach. Accountability matters. Just ask those he misled on housing delivery during the election or the parents of children with special needs who the Government led up the garden path on funding of services. The Taoiseach does not want to be accountable. Is that not the truth?

Sentiment score: 0.12

What exactly does Deputy Lowry have over the Taoiseach? What debt does he owe him? The former Fine Gael Minister, a rogue politician as the Taoiseach described him, is now kingmaker for the Government. This is a man the Taoiseach wants to sit in both government and opposition at the same time. The combined Opposition has repeatedly sought to meet with the Taoiseach to resolve this matter. Our offers have either been rejected or ignored. He acts in bad faith. To meet his narrow short-term need to placate Lowry and Co., he now proposes to do real and lasting damage to the democratic processes of the Dáil. Tá Fianna Fáil agus Fine Gael ag moladh feidhmiú daonlathach na Dála a iompú bun os cionn chun an socrú suarach atá acu leis an Teachta Lowry a chosaint. Ní ghlacfaidh muid leis. The combined Opposition is not backing down on this matter. We reject the Taoiseach's attempt to run roughshod over this Dáil and to ram through this motion. He can step back from the brink. He can still meet with the Opposition to work out a solution. What he will not get away with, however, is pretending that signed and sealed Government TDs can act as Opposition. You cannot be in government and opposition at the same time.

Sentiment score: -0.05

A Cheann Comhairle, with the greatest of respect, we are on the same ground. Micheál Martin can spare us and the nation his sanctimonious homilies on democracy. He has been here since 1989, which is a political lifetime. Never has such a brazen stroke been attempted. In all of the peculiar shenanigans of this place, there has never been something like this. The Taoiseach was quick enough to throw his own people under the bus in the last Dáil when it suited him. It is incredible that he will go to these extraordinary lengths for Deputy Michael Lowry.

Sentiment score: 0.10

We are asking why. We should have an answer to this. It is as simple as this: the Taoiseach should not take people for fools. People know that for their interests to be protected and for politics and democracy to work, the Government has its prerogatives to discharge. We respect that. The Taoiseach needs to respect the duty and the prerogatives of the Opposition but he does not want that. He wants a blunt Opposition because he does not want to be held to account. If he is worried about his backbenchers, he should leave Taoiseach's questions on a Wednesday. That gives them ample opportunity to raise matters with him.

Sentiment score: 0.09

Yes.

Sentiment score: 0.40