The Dáil sits today for another round of international embarrassment as it weighs a confidence motion in the Ceann Comhairle (Speaker), Verona Murphy. The 34th Dáil has been characterized by a unified opposition, procedural chaos, and childish behavior. From two-fingered salutes to senseless insults, the elected representatives of Ireland are missing the entire purpose of their jobs: to run the country and to hold the Government to account. Between the dissolution of the last Dáil (November 8) and today (April 1), the Dáil has convened for 22 days. In that time, here are just some major incidents that have taken place, with no scrutiny of the Government.
- Donald Trump’s first 71 days in office
- The appointment of the most anti-Irish US Cabinet in recent history, including JD Vance and Howard Lutnick
- The closure of the Israeli embassy, landing Ireland directly in Trump’s crosshairs
- The election of a new coalition in Germany
- The temporary ceasefire and resumption of fighting in the Middle East
- Negotiations around a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire and the ongoing formation of a potential successor to NATO in Europe
- The diplomatic snub of a preferential welcome for Conor McGregor to the White House on St. Patrick’s Day
- Controversial lawfare attacks on European politicians like Călin Georgescu and Marine Le Pen, preventing them from running for office
- Viscous attacks on Europe’s regard for rule of law by JD Vance at the Munich Security Conference
- The impending ‘Liberation Day’ scheduled for tomorrow, where Donald Trump will levy tariffs of up to 200% on Irish pharmaceuticals and alcohol, potentially destroying the Irish economy
All this is happening while the Dáil cannot even form committees. All the while, the opposition targets the Government over issues that don’t matter to the ordinary Irish voter. The Government is only too happy to stoke the fire and avoid scrutiny.
Unite and Conquer
The Government has thrown up a red herring during this Dáil to dispel real scrutiny. A coalition deal with uncertain speaking rights for the Independents involved has led the entire opposition to unite against it. However, the focus is firmly on the one issue voters care about least: parliamentary procedure. The more the opposition focuses scrutiny on the Government over its deal with the Regional Independents, the more it pushes away the ordinary voter. It should not need to be said, but voters don’t care about parliamentary procedure. To focus so much on the issue is to avoid any popularity growth ahead of the next election. In fact, the Government parties have not lost out in polling at all since January. Of course the Taoiseach and his team will happily sit back and avoid actually working if it helps them in the polls. Nothing makes a Government less popular than actually enacting policy.
Opposite scrutiny
One could commend the opposition for finally uniting against the Government. However, this claim does not really hold up to any scrutiny. What use is a united opposition if they refuse to represent the people? The opposition is expending all of its political capital for the sake of a few minutes of speaking time each week in the Dáil. If one were to add up all the wasted speaking time from the last two months, it would almost certainly be longer than the total amount of speaking time at issue over the entire five-year term. The opposition is uniting for its own downfall. Scrutiny for the sake of scrutiny is not what voters want. Effective management of the country is.
Calculated opposition?
There is no upside for the opposition in this debacle. Even if they were to win the battle and reclaim the 6-8 minutes of speaking time, it would be a hollow victory. Sending out election material in 2029 that read, “we reclaimed 6 minutes of speaking time every week” is unlikely to turn out the vote and usher in an era of political revolution that many opposition parties claim to want. On the other hand, the longer the issue dominates the headlines, the more humiliating it is for an opposition that avoids any opportunity for representative scrutiny.
Immune to scrutiny
The Government is not immune from a downside, but mostly enjoys significant upside. It is not a great look to reduce the opposition’s speaking time in order to make a deal for power. Yet, the opposition has squandered so much of its own speaking time already that it doesn’t matter. Micheál Martin is presiding over the country during the most tumultuous geopolitical situation in recent memory. But there is no scrutiny on what he or his Government is doing to react. Instead, the Cabinet is getting on with its work, especially when it comes to international travel and releasing videos promoting its policies directly to the people.
In a very likely future when Ireland has to suffer the consequences of the Government’s present inaction, the Government will not take any blame. After all, it’s the opposition parties that are disrupting the Dáil and preventing any committees being formed. The Government, they will say, is being held hostage by radicals on the Left. That claim may or may not hold up to scrutiny itself, but there is nobody to scrutinize it. Martin can ride that wave all the way to the next Taoiseach term. If Simon Harris is smart, he will continue the trend till the next election.
The lesson here is that effective manoeuvring does not take much intelligence. Often, it takes a significant lack of intelligence on the other side. Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are safe to rest on their laurels. They aren’t receiving enough scrutiny to be worried about losing their jobs.
