Deputy Mary Lou McDonald- speech from 1 Apr 2025

Let's dive into the discussions shaping the nation. Goe maagat, Ceann Comhairle. This motion of no confidence in the Ceann Comhairle is a response to a concerted and coordinated plan by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. A plan to run roughshod over the democratic rules of the Dáil for their own political gain. Last Tuesday, not alone did the Ceann Comhairle put herself at the centre of that government plan. She led the charge. In an unprecedented and frankly breathtaking display of bias, the person charged with safeguarding and preserving democracy in this House helped to tear it apart. The Cairn Comhairle actively and enthusiastically fulfilled the bidding and the aims of the government. Acting not as the impartial chair of the Dáil, but more like a loyal minister under political instruction from the top. Acting as the government's Ceann Comhairle, signed, sealed and delivered by Michael Lowry. What we witnessed was an unrivaled partisan display. The Cairn Comhairle forced the government agenda, showing blatant disrespect and contempt for the mandate of the combined opposition. Enforcing through the government's plan, Verona Murphy took a wrecking ball to the long-established democratic procedures of the Dáil, ripped up the rulebook that underpins its functioning. And yes, this marked a fundamental departure from established practice, making a mockery of the oath taken by the Cairn Comhairle on assuming office. Political clashes, robust debate and raised temperatures are all part and parcel of parliamentary politics. We are all used to such battles in this chamber. However, the Dáil has always functioned through agreement by ensuring that opposition views, objections or dissent to the content of Dáil business is respectfully given its rightful place. And this isn't a mere technicality. This is fundamental to how opposition hold government to account for their priorities, their legislative agenda, and their failures and shortfalls in addressing public need. It is also crucially how we endeavour to ensure political balance, so that the Dáil does not become a token platform for government to railroad through its agenda, but rather a place where those elected by the people exercise our duty to keep those in power in check through fair, honest and open debate. It is how accountability is ensured and the interests of the people are protected. Last Tuesday, the Count Corlea not only undermined that democratic understanding, she demolished it. In quick succession, she made three decisions exposing bias. Doing things in her power and, frankly, outside of her power, to ram through the government's objective of changing the rules of the Dáil to suit themselves. Firstly, she failed to hold a vote to agree Dáil business when a vote was called. The call for vote is clearly audible in the Oireachtas footage of proceedings, and a division should have been called as a result. Yet the Count Corlea ignored this call, dug in and proceeded to shut down the opposition. Secondly, the Count Corlea chose to cancel questions on promised legislation. The claim that this decision was made because of continued disruption in the Dáil is demonstrably not true. The claim is clearly contradicted by the official Oireachtas video. The video shows that at the resumption, following a 30-minute suspension, there was no disruption in the Dáil. The Count Corlea was simply hell-bent on rushing ahead to get the government's plan over the line. The Dáil business was dispensed with to achieve the government's desired outcome. And, thirdly, the Count Corlea failed to put the government motion to change Dáil rules to a vote. Such was the haste to pass the government motion. The Count Corlea inadvertently moved the opposition amendment only. At no point did the Count Corlea put the government's substantive motion to a formal vote. In her eagerness to get the job done for Micheál Martin, Simon Harris and Michael Lowry, the Count Corlea declared the government motion to be passed. A motion on which there was no vote. That is astonishing. And, of course, all of this done was done to cheers of approval and a chorus of encouragement from the government benches. The only holy show on display was the shameless coordination and cooperation between the Count Corlea and the government. Brazen, arrogant and on display for all to see. So, all of this is very serious. Yes, Taoiseach, unseen in any previous Dáil. Change for the worse. And, yes, deeply destructive. A change designed and orchestrated by you and your government. The failures of the Count Corlea last week raised questions about the legitimacy and legal standing of the business conducted last week in the Dáil, because the rules of the Dáil have not been legitimately changed. Therefore, the farce of others' questions scheduled to commence tomorrow has no standing. The credibility of the Dáil, the democratic underpinnings of this parliament, have been undermined by the actions of the Count Corlea at the behest of the government. And to ignore this reality would make a mockery of our mandate and take the people for fools. So, the position of the Count Corlea is untenable. Surviving a vote on this motion will not change that fact. The role of the Count Corlea demands that whomsoever occupies the office be impartial, fair and independent. You cannot be a fair, impartial, independent chairperson of the Dáil, having thrown out the democratic rulebook to force through whatever Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil want. If you cast aside the need for balance and the rights of the opposition and our mandates to do the bidding of government, we in opposition would be doing the people of Ireland a grave disservice were we to lie down and accept such a farce. The actions of the Count Corlea have been neither impartial nor independent, quite the opposite. The credibility of the Count Corlea now lies in tatters, having lost the confidence of the opposition. For the Count Corlea to fulfil their duties, they must enjoy the confidence of both government and opposition. The Count Corlea does not and must go. So, what are the benefits? It must be remembered that all of this is rooted in the grubby deal struck between Micheál Martin, Simon Harris and Michael Lowry, a deal in which Deputy Lowry led and marshalled a group of so-called independent TDs into the Fianna Fáil Fine Gael camp to form a government. The Lowry group of TDs negotiated, helped to write and agree the programme for government. Four of their number assumed ministerial office. They designated themselves as government TDs by their own actions. Those dogs on the street know that they are in the government camp, on the government side. But the Taoiseach and the Taoiseach sought to orchestrate a delusion that they were members of the opposition. We have said it many times and let me say it again today. You simply cannot be in government and opposition at the same time. However, this is the very farce that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael want to ram through to protect their grubby deal with Micheál Lowry. So what is in this deal? Notably, and again today, the Taoiseach and the Taoiseach have been very, very coy on this point. So we will have to rely on Deputy Lowry himself in his own words to tell us. This is what he had to say in an interview with Tipperary Live in January. He makes it clear that putting Verona Murphy in as Count Corlea was key to the deal. Here is his words, let me quote, I felt it was a good political move to make to put forward Verona Murphy as Count Corlea. That was really an important and decisive moment because I felt that once she was elected as Count Corlea, and there had to be a lot of political manoeuvring to make that happen, but once she was elected as Count Corlea, that put our regional group in the driving seat for discussions on the formation of a government. He went on to say, and let me quote, I have been working, first of all, to get Verona Murphy elected as Count Corlea, and then to prepare our group's policy position and the policy platform in readiness for negotiations, and then we started negotiations. I was the lead negotiator with relation to that. I think we achieved a fantastic result for our group in that we had a Count Corlea, two super junior ministers and two junior ministers. So there you have it, directly as they might say from the horse's mouth. The grubby deal, a raft of junior ministers with big pay hikes, more super junior ministers, and of course the prized position of Count Corlea to boot. And nobody, with any respect for the position of Count Corlea, would ever have been party to such a disgraceful arrangement. A deal struck by Micheál Martin and Simon Harris with Michael Lowry, a man whose actions the Moriarty Tribunal found to be, and I quote, profoundly corrupt to a degree that is breathtaking. Who the Taoiseach once described as a rogue politician who called on him to resign his seat, now kingmaker of your coalition. A grubby deal that places Michael Lowry's demands above even the democracy of the Dáil and the proper functioning of Parliament. A grubby deal that has been prioritised by this government over the formation of Eroctis committees, over the imperative to put forward debate and pass laws, over the need to address big issues affecting workers and families. All of this might again beg the question, what does Michael Lowry have over Micheál Martin, or Simon Harris for that matter? What debt is owed to him that you are willing to tear down the integrity of the Dáil just to keep him sweet? We know that providing him with access to the main platform where the opposition holds government to account was part of your grubby deal. And tomorrow you plan the ludicrous spectacle of Lowry Group TDs standing up at leaders' questions to question the government they support, that they designed and that they delivered. Of course Micheál Martin was adamant that this was about ensuring fair speaking time for Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael backbenchers, that bubble has truly burst. This is not about backbenchers, it never was. This is about Michael Lowry. The reality is that the Lowry Group of TDs get four times more speaking time than Fianna Fáil backbenchers. So just as Micheál Martin spent his first term as Taoiseach throwing Fianna Fáil ministers under the bus to protect his deal with Fine Gael, now in his second term he throws Fianna Fáil backbenchers under the bus to protect his grubby deal with Michael Lowry. The Taoiseach has claimed that the Dáil will never be the same again, and I agree. But not because the opposition is standing our ground, but because of his underhanded manoeuvres to rig the Dáil and stack the opposition in his favour. That is the threat that is faced here, and it certainly has some resonance with events elsewhere in the world. If anybody ever wondered why governments come and go but nothing really improves for working people, well you have your answer here in a nutshell. The deals, insider deals, the cosy club, that is the reason why so many people cannot afford a roof over their head, why our hospitals are overcrowded and overwhelmed, why children with special needs are locked out of services and education, why families struggle to make ends meet. These deals preserve the status quo and ensure that workers and families are pushed to the back of the queue. This is the deal that the Ciancorla moved heaven and earth to defend last Tuesday. The very deal that secured her position. The reality is that it was Michael Lowry who ensured that she would become Ciancorla. In her acceptance speech, Chakda Murphy openly acknowledged Michael Lowry's efforts, identifying him as the person who first approached her to seek the office of Ciancorla. Despite deep, deep reservations, she was given a fair wind when she assumed that office. But last Tuesday, our worst fears were realised. She became the government's Ciancorla. Michael Lowry gives two fingers to the Irish people. We will not accept the Ciancorla doing the same. The Ciancorla is not fair, is not impartial, is not independent and cannot stay. The Ciancorla must go. Like, share, and subscribe, and let us know your thoughts in the comments. We'd love to hear from you.