Extraordinary Varadkar attack: Tánaiste 'embarrassed' to share Dáil chamber with 'bullies' from smaller and left-wing parties

Critic: Tánaiste Leo Varadkar Photo: Gerry Mooney

Senan Molony

Tánaiste Leo Varadkar has launched an extraordinary attack on smaller parties in the Dáil saying he was “embarrassed” to share the Chamber with them.

Amid fractious exchanges over speaking time, Mr Varadkar made the highly unusual step of intervening on behalf of the Government to accuse some TDs of “arrogance and nastiness and abusiveness”.

He said: “You shout us down in the same way you bully people online. Day in and day out you try to bully people in here because they come from a larger party or a government party”.

The Government parties have moved to change the speaking arrangements in the Dáil so that their backbench TDs can get better speaking times more frequently.

Smaller parties and Independents have fought furiously against the move.

However, Mr Varadkar said he wanted people to understand that opposition parties have 74pc of the speaking time even though they less than half the seats.

“I’m embarrassed to be a member of this Chamber tonight quiet frankly because of the behaviour of some of the parties,” he said.

During testy exchanges, he added: “I want to people at home to listen to the number of times I’m interrupted when I just try to say a few words in this chamber because of the arrogance and nastiness and abusiveness of the smaller parties and far-left parties in this House. They try to dominate this chamber and anytime anyone from Government stands up, anything any minister tries to speak, any backbencher tries to make a point, you shout us down in the same way you bully people online. Day in and day out you try to bully people in here because they come from a larger party or a government party.”

This comes as the Dáil was adjourned amid scenes of disorder on the last night of its first session since the election.

A bitter row over future speaking rights forced a ten-minute suspension by new Leas Cheann Comhairle Catherine Connolly after Rise TD Paul Murphy repeatedly refused to resume his seat.

He said attempts to reformulate speaking slots were an effort to marginalise left-wing groups, allowing Government parties to make much of the parliamentary running. He was supported by Socialist Party deputy Mick Barry and by Richard Boyd Barrett of People Before Profit.

At one point, as Social Democrats co-leader Catherine Murphy was attempting to make a point, she called out “Ah, Richard, please,” amid continuing barracking and uproar.

Rise TD Paul Murphy Picture: Collins

Kerry Fine Gael TD Brendan Griffin, a former minister and now deputy chief whip, angrily accused splinter group TDs of telling lies about the new arrangements. He said backbenchers had missed out in the last Dáil and were looking to have speaking rights too, insisting that their popular mandate was no less valid than that of left-wingers

Tipperary Independent Mattie McGrath called on the chair to force Mr Griffin to withdraw the word ‘lie,’ which is not permissible under standing orders. But several TDs were on their feet and shouting over each other at this point.

Mr McGrath himself became overheated, asking if the Fine Gael “heavy bootboys, the Heavy Gang on 1973-77” were back.

He added in overwrought fashion: “They might silence us, but they won’t silence the people out there.”

After repeatedly beseeching that TDs pay attention to rulings from the chair, Ms Connolly declared: “People in Ireland are watching this. I would ask you to stop this.”

Repeated attempts to raise points of order were denied, with the Leas Cheann Comhairle accusing Deputies of “attempting to dance on the head of a needle on point of orders.” The behaviour in the chamber was “a disgrace,” she said, calling for “a little respect."

Bríd Smith of PBP said a majority Government was attempting to silence the Opposition, and it was “the Blueshirts and Fianna Fáil in a dictatorship.”

Róisín Shortall of the Social Democrats said there was an attempt to maintain the convention whereby speakers were allowed in order of the size of party on the first round of legislation, and there was no defence for it. All that was being sought was that a very harmonious and effective procedure from the last Dáil be maintained. The Business Committee recommendations and all attempts at compromise were being ignored.

But the session descended into farce when an attempted amendment from the loudest critics fell on a technicality — Paul Murphy TD had failed to sign the declaration paper as a teller, and under Standing Order 82 the amendment was deemed defeated.

The new Dáil speaking arrangements approved by 86 votes to 63 at 10.53pm.