A little bit too much rest for the wicked of Leinster House

DÁIL SKETCH:The only person taking more holidays than TDs is Kathryn Thomas – and she gets paid for it, writes MICHAEL O'REGAN

TDS TAKE about two weeks’ summer holidays. And for that, they need a 12-week Dáil recess.

That was the political logic according to Tánaiste Mary Coughlan yesterday, as she defended the Government’s decision to adjourn the House for three months.

TDs would not be idle, she said, as they participated in their normal duties as members of the House.

“I think it appropriate we have that recess to allow time for every member of this House to take a justifiable occasion of at least two weeks off,” she added.

Privately, nobody was taking the Tánaiste’s defence of the long break too seriously. The speculation was that the Tánaiste was not taking the Tánaiste too seriously.

Fine Gael deputy leader, Dr James Reilly, standing in for Enda Kenny, pointed to the obvious.

“What the Tánaiste seems to miss is that this chamber does not sit . . . there are no plenary sessions . . . we cannot vote, we cannot pass legislation,” he said.

Reilly has had a roller-coaster political career in recent times.

Catapulted into the deputy leadership in the aftermath of the unsuccessful heave against Kenny, he found himself yesterday as team captain on the Order of Business.

First-time nerves were evident. He declared Fine Gael’s opposition to “the recession” when he meant recess.

There were whoops of delight from the Government benches.

But he recovered.

The only person who took more holidays than the Government was Kathryn Thomas, he said, adding that she was getting paid for it.

He noted that the Greens had colluded in the long break, despite being vociferous objectors to such proposals in opposition.

The row over the length of the break sometimes resembled a boisterous last day at school before the summer holidays, with hyperactive children anticipating the freedom that lay ahead of them.

That was until the dark side of Irish life was mentioned: massive unemployment, the lack of respite care for the disabled and so on.

It was enough to lead to an uncomfortable silence on the Government benches.

Labour leader Eamon Gilmore suggested the Government hold the children’s referendum and the byelections in September.

There were no takers.

Kerry South Independent Jackie Healy-Rae noted that the break would give TDs an opportunity to visit Puck Fair, in Killorglin, Co Kerry, bring home the turf and observe his county win the All-Ireland.

Gilmore, who once worked as a trade union official in the Kingdom, and knows its geography and ethos, had a little bit of advice for the Independent TD.

“If I were Deputy Healy-Rae, I would keep clear of Killorglin in mid-August,” he said.

“I hear they do strange things to old bucks.”

Sinn Féin’s Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin wanted a general election. “So, recess be damned,” he declared.

“Let us have the Dáil dissolved and let the people decide.”

The vote was called. Would backbenchers suffer a crisis of conscience, or would the Greens revert to type, and oppose the 12-week break?

No chance. The Government comfortably won the day by 74 votes to 68.

The Government is on a three-month run from parliament and people.

But can it hide?