A MASS walkout of TDs is looming when the Dail returns on Wednesday in the row over Michael Lowry’s bid to play both opposition and Government.
The election of Micheal Martin as Taoiseach was delayed for a day last month after opposition parties teamed up to cause chaos in the Dail.
The Government promised to come up with a solution during the two-week recess.
But opposition parties have shot down the Government’s “nonsense” proposals to allow speaking time for Independent TDs Lowry, Barry Heneghan, Gillian Toole and Danny Healy-Rae.
All four were involved in the programme for Government negotiations and have vowed to support the Fianna Fail–Fine Gael coalition for the next five years.
However, the Independents also want to be labelled as opposition TDs so they can get speaking time in the Dail during Leader’s Questions and challenge the Taoiseach – despite vowing to support his Government.
Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald today claimed that all opposition parties are united against the Government’s plan.
She said: “This is Alice in Wonderland stuff.
“We’re not prepared to allow the democratic function of the opposition to be undermined at the very, very beginning of this new Dail.
“We will stand our ground and we will consider all and every option.”
Deputy McDonald said the opposition will not stop their protests until Lowry and his Independent TDs are designated as Government TDs.
She said: “They have said themselves very clearly that they are not outside of Government. They are inside government.
“Does anybody actually believe that Michael Lowry taking to his feet during Leader’s Questions as an opposition deputy would be putting Micheal Martin through his paces and holding him to account? That is a nonsense, a farce and an insult to democracy.”
Asked if the opposition parties will join together for a mass walkout on Wednesday, McDonald said: “We are in contact all of us the combined opposition and we will consider every single option available to us.”
GOVERNMENT FAILED TO GET GEOWYN
TWO thirds of Irish people believe the Government did not perform as it should have in response to the destruction caused by Storm Eowyn, a new poll has revealed.
It comes as 39,000 people remain without electricity across the country today as crews continued to work around the clock to bring back power.
The Ireland Thinks Sunday Independent poll also shows growth in popularity for Sinn Fein and its leader Mary Lou McDonald with a slip in support for Fine Gael.
Micheal Martin remains the most popular leader in the country with an approval rating of 49 per cent.
The Fianna Fail leader is followed by the Social Democrats’ Holly Cairns on 46 per cent and Fine Gael’s Simon Harris on 45 per cent.
Deputy McDonald’s approval rating is up three points to 38 per cent following a week where she led the Opposition Dail rebellion that delayed the election of the Taoiseach by one day.
Sinn Fein’s support is also up three points in the poll to 22 per cent – one below Fianna Fail at 24 per cent and one above Fine Gael who drop two points to 20 per cent.
Independents have nine per cent of the public support followed by the Social Democrats on eight per cent.
Aontu and Labour are both on four per cent while the Greens climbed one point to three per cent.
The poll also shows that two thirds of respondents believe the Government did not respond as it should have in the aftermath of Storm Eowyn.
The number of people who believe housing is the number one issue facing our country has also risen from 51 per cent last month up to 59 per cent.
