Dáil Sketch: Micheál Martin quick on the draw over Croke Park lottery

Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform Brendan Howlin, currently in the eye of a political storm, allowed himself a philosophical moment in the Dáil yesterday.

“In many ways I am not a gambler, thank God, although I suppose that I gamble in politics,’’ he said.

The Minister made his remark during the debate on the National Lottery Bill, which he is piloting through the House. It must seem like easy work compared to dealing with the fallout from the rejection of Croke Park II.

Earlier, he had been accused by the Opposition of gambling – and losing – on the likelihood that a threat of legislation and a 7 per cent pay cut would swing a Yes vote.

Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin claimed the Minister seemed to be shell-shocked when interviewed on the RTÉ television news on Tuesday. “He spoke about telephone calls,’’ said Martin, dismissively, as he recalled how Howlin had spoken about how he would have to inform the troika of the No vote.

Martin asked the Taoiseach to reveal the Government’s plan B. “If he does not [have a plan], do we take it the threats, utterances and articulation of Minister Howlin that he would go ahead anyway [with pay cuts], which the Taoiseach also stated earlier in the process, was never meant and it is not now on the agenda?’’

Enda Kenny refused to be drawn on the next move, as worried backbenchers pondered the nightmare of voting for legislation cutting the pay of public servants. He went on to strongly endorse his Minister.

The Government, said Kenny, was absolutely united behind Howlin “in his declaration that we need to find €300 million in extra savings from payroll this year and €1 billion by 2015’’.

Tongue in cheek
Martin, tongue in cheek, put the boot in as he addressed backbenchers from the smaller Coalition party in particular. "I welcome that the Government is united and that Fine Gael and Labour are united on this issue,'' he said.

“Some elements of the Labour Party have been speaking out of both sides of their mouth.’’

Minister for Health Dr James Reilly intervened. “Deputy Martin would not know anything about that,’’ he said.

Sinn Féin’s Mary Lou McDonald returned to the dreaded L-word. She challenged the Taoiseach to withdraw his threat to legislate for a pay cut. Kenny again refused to respond.

He claimed that the implementation of Sinn Féin’s fiscal policies would represent a lethal injection for the economy.

Labour TDs later trooped into their parliamentary party meeting to discuss the fallout from the Meath East byelection and the No vote. They are gambling on Howlin pulling off a political Houdini act to avoid the walk of shame through the division lobbies as the doomsday response to the No vote.

But it is a safe bet that they and their Fine Gael colleagues will walk that walk if the alternative is a general election.