Row in Irish parliament a ‘subversion of constitution’ and ‘farcical’

A row in the Irish parliament has been labelled a “subversion of the Irish Constitution” by would-be Irish premier Micheal Martin.

The Fianna Fail leader, who was poised to become the next taoiseach on Wednesday after a deal with the Fine Gael party and several independents, criticised the opposition for disrupting protocol amid noisy scenes.

The dispute, centred on whether some of those independents would be allocated opposition speaking time in the Irish parliament, ended Wednesday’s proceedings without a new Irish premier.

The Fianna Fail and Fine Gael leaders branded the oppositions actions “farcical” and accused Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald of “stunt politics on speed”.

“The most fundamental obligation of the Dail is to elect a taoiseach and, indeed, to elect a government,” Mr Martin told reporters outside Government Buildings after the Dail was adjourned for the fourth and final time.

“That opportunity was denied today by a premeditated, co-ordinated and choreographed position by the opposition and particularly by Sinn Fein party.”

Mr Martin said there were numerous attempts to facilitate a resolution to a dispute on speaking time arrangements, but added: “It became very clear to us that there was no intention ever to reach agreement on the nomination of a taoiseach or a government today.”

He said there had been agreement to establish a Dail Reform Committee which would have met at midday on Thursday.

The establish of the committee would require the formation of a Government, which did not happen because of the adjournment of the Dail.

Mr Martin said: “The actions of the opposition, the actions of Sinn Fein today, were wholly disproportionate to the issue at hand, which could have been resolved.”

Fine Gael leader and presumptive deputy premier Simon Harris, who spoke to the media alongside Mr Martin, said it was “unprecedented” and “utterly farcical”.

“The people’s representatives gathered to discharge their constitutional duty and obligation to elect a taoiseach and to elect a government,” he said.

“There was a clear majority of the people’s representatives ready, willing to elect Micheal Martin as taoiseach and to elect the next government and get on with the people’s work. There is much work to do.

“Instead, what we saw was an effort to obstruct, an effort to shout down, an effort to disrespect the Ceann Comhairle (Speaker) and her constitutional office, and ultimately preventing a majority of the democratically elected representatives of Dail Eireann to discharge their duty and their mandate to elect a taoiseach.

“Today was unprecedented, unseemly, and tomorrow Dail Eireann must reconvene and must elect a taoiseach and get on with the urgent work of government.”

Mr Harris accused Sinn Fein’s Mary Lou McDonald of carrying out “stunt politics on speed”.

“Mary Lou McDonald came into Dail Eireann today with one intention and one intention only, to stop Micheal Martin being elected taoiseach and, therefore, to deprive the people of Ireland of the outworkings of the last general election.

“We hear a lot about mandates. Respect my mandate. There’s only one leader who spoke today in Dail Eireann by the way, the Sinn Fein leader, neither the leader of Fianna Fail nor the leader of Fine Gael got up in their mouth.

“There was only one leader who spoke, and she spoke with one purpose and one purpose only, to stop a government being formed, to stop a taoiseach being elected, to obstruct, to spin, to divert and to distract, to conflate different issues.

“But there is no conflating, and the people of Ireland will see through this. The people of Ireland are smart and canny, and they know exactly what happened today.

“What happened today was stunt politics on speed, led by Mary Lou McDonald.”

The Dail was due to sit on Wednesday to nominate a new taoiseach, but was delayed for hours to allow for talks aimed at resolving the dispute.

Government Chief Whip Hildegarde Naughton addressed the chamber after 4.25pm and said the nomination process should proceed.

Fianna Fail TD Albert Dolan took to his feet to begin nominating his party leader as taoiseach.

Members of Sinn Fein – including Ms McDonald, Pearse Doherty and Chief Whip Padraig Mac Lochlainn – continued to interrupt the sitting.

Mr Doherty described the Ceann Comhairle’s attempts to proceed as a “disgrace”, while Mr Mac Lochlainn said it was “outrageous”.

Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy adjourned the Dail until 9am on Thursday, ending a day of disorder inside the chamber which saw multiple suspensions and adjournments.

Fianna Fail and Fine Gael’s agreement on forming a government with independents sparked the enormous row over parliamentary rules, which has yet to be resolved.

Five of the nine independents who entered into negotiations are due to be given junior ministries, with the remainder expressing support for the Programme for Government but not taking up an official post.

The four remaining independents are seeking to join a technical group, which is a mechanism designed to allow opposition TDs to sit in groupings of at least five members to gain an allocation of speaking time.

This has been widely rejected by opposition parties – including Sinn Fein, Labour and the Social Democrats – who argue that the independents who supported the incoming government should not be allowed to join technical groups.

As the Dail met to nominate a taoiseach from 11am on Wednesday, opposition TDs objected to the order of business set out by the government chief whip and repeatedly interrupted proceedings.

The allowance of the Government-supporting independents being allowed to join technical groups was described as “ludicrous” and “farcical”.

Ms Murphy suspended the Dail multiple times before it was agreed that party whips would meet with the clerk of the Dail to seek a resolution to the dispute. The talks did not find a solution.

At the same time, Sinn Fein, the largest opposition party, had intended to nominate Ms McDonald as taoiseach when proceedings resumed.

However, the outcome of the Government formation talks suggested that Mr Martin would be approved by the Dail.

The successful nominee had been due to travel to Aras an Uachtarain, the official residence of the president of Ireland, where Michael D Higgins was to sign the warrant of appointment and hand them the Seal of the Taoiseach.

That meeting was called off following the final adjournment of the Dail after 4pm.

The Dail is due to reconvene again at 9am on Thursday where it is expected further attempts will be made to nominate and vote on a future taoiseach.