Flanagan furious over slow pace of business

DÁIL SKETCH:Fine Gael TD likened proceedings to Frank Hall's satirical take on local politics, writes MICHAEL O'REGAN

A FURIOUS Charlie Flanagan noted yesterday that the morning’s Order of Business was still under way close to midday.

He blamed it on the failure of Ministers to exercise any form of accountability.

“It is rather like Ballymagash urban district council on the television 30 years ago,” said the Fine Gael TD.

Ballymagash was the local authority made famous by Frank Hall’s satirical RTÉ television programme of the 1970s.

Given the absurdly slow pace of Dáil reform, its members might be less than pleased with the comparison.

The Honourable Judy Spence MP, leader of the Queensland legislative assembly, accompanied by Fianna Fáil backbencher Noel O’Flynn, observed matters from the VIP gallery.

Ceann Comhairle Séamus Kirk expressed the hope that their dark-haired and smiling guest’s visit would be “enjoyable, successful and to our mutual benefit”.

Looking in the direction of the VIP gallery, Fine Gael’s Noel Coonan asked: “Who is the cougar?” The term has been made popular by the television sitcom Cougar Town, which focuses on a recently divorced woman whose social life features younger men.

Coonan’s fellow TDs were perplexed by the remark. Perhaps he had in mind O’Flynn’s cougar-like devouring of political opponents in the Dáil and in his Cork North Central constituency.

Proceedings began with Tánaiste Mary Coughlan giving the Opposition the silent treatment.

She had nothing to say in response to a demand by Sinn Féin’s Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin for a Dáil debate on the submission of draft national budgets to the European Commission.

Labour’s Joan Burton had plenty to say when she demanded that the commission’s document be laid before the Dáil and debated.

The Ceann Comhairle said that the House’s standing orders did not allow for a debate there and then on the issue. Burton claimed that Kirk had not interrupted Ó Caoláin or Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny on the issue earlier.

Kirk said he was just drawing her attention to the fact that he did not want second-stage contributions on the Order of Business.

Burton bristled and sought a female ally on the Government benches.

“A Cheann Comhairle, sometimes sexism gets the best of you,” she said. “The Tánaiste and I are perfectly capable of putting up with it and ignoring it.”

As the exchanges continued, Burton asked if the Ceann Comhairle was afraid of the “sovereign parliament” having a debate. This was all too much for Fianna Fáil Minister of State Dr Martin Mansergh who sighed and muttered something inaudible.

When Burton accused Kirk of protecting Fianna Fáil, she was heckled by the party’s TDs. She said she found the chorus exhilarating. “Please keep it up,” she added. “Come on, lads, come on.” Ó Caoláin observed that the Tánaiste was dressed in a “Tory blue” suit. Minister for Justice Dermot Ahern thought this was a “sexist remark”. No, said Coughlan, it was “petrol blue”.

What would Ballymagash council, devoid of female members, cougar-like or otherwise, have made of it all ?