Miriam Lord: End-of-term fun until Halligan silences the lads

The lads were a bit giddy. Sure it’s nearly Christmas. They got more rowdy as Leaders’ Questions progressed. The quips were flying. Government backbenchers were knocking great gas out of Sinn Féin’s new health strategy.

Gerry Adams waved the document to the approval of his troops. “I look forward to the opportunity to implement it,” warbled Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, the party’s health spokesman.

“It’s a wonder to behold,” dripped Enda, with a smirk. Fianna Fáilers taunted both sides from their less than lofty perch. Gerry’s fabled trip to Manhattan for medical treatment was swiftly produced by the boys behind the Taoiseach, as they wondered how Sinn Féin intended to pay for all the wonderful proposals in their plan.

“It’s a fairytale,” shouted Paul Kehoe, the government Chief Whip. “New York! New York!” whooped backbencher Patrick O’Donovan. Suddenly, Kehoe was hit by a lightning bolt of inspiration. “A Fairytale of New York!” he cried triumphantly.

The buckos behind Enda were beside themselves with joy. “Fianna Fáil destroyed the country!” bellowed Ray Butler, yet again. Peter Mathews started whingeing about promissory notes. “Would you stay quiet?” snapped the Ceann Comhairle. “Burn the bondholders,” yelped Mattie McGrath.

Fianna Fáil’s Barry Cowen wasn’t inclined to listen to yet another list of government achievements from the Taoiseach as opposition TDs moaned about having to listen to an election speech. “Are you on the back of a lorry or in the chamber?”

“He’s on a low loader,” whooped Colm Keaveney, whatever that was supposed to mean. Colm looked pleased with himself though. The Ceann Comhairle told everyone to calm down. “I know we’re going on our holidays, but don’t get too excited. It’s tomorrow, not today.”

But you could sense from his tone of voice that he can hardly wait. Sean Barrett wanted “no more smart remarks from the sidelines”. Everyone laughed.

The knockabout continued. The lads in great form, what with Christmas just around the corner and a general election on the horizon sending them all half-mad.

John Halligan was due to speak for the Technical Group. The party-affiliated people tend to be rather ungracious when the designated spokespersons for the group rise to do their piece.

They are inclined to chatter among themselves or start showing funny things on their iPhones to colleagues.

Low hum

There was a low hum of light conversation when the independent TD for Waterford began his contribution to Leaders’ Questions. There was just one female deputy amid the grinning government ranks. It wasn’t much better across the floor: Sandra McLellan was present for Sinn Féin, with Clare Daly and Joan Collins sitting away to the left. No female presence on the Fianna Fáil benches, obviously, because there is none.

Halligan’s words met the background noise. “Since the Northern Ireland courts ruled that a near total ban on abortion there is in breach of the European Convention on Human Rights concerning women who are pregnant with fatal foetal abnormalities or pregnant as the result of sexual crime, ie rape, a number of highly courageous women have come forward and publicly told their heart-breaking stories of having to travel to the UK for an abortion after being told that their much loved and longed for baby had no chance of survival outside the womb . . . ”

By the time he finished his opening sentence, there was absolute silence. In fact, it took just a dozen words to completely change the tone. The moment Halligan uttered the word “abortion” there was instant silence. It was as if all the air had been sucked from the chamber.

‘Divisive’

The rows of confident, opinionated, word-for-every-occasion legislators and would-be legislators evaporated. In their place, uncomfortable-looking men in dark suits, sitting quietly, some studying their shoes, others looking off into the distance.

“I am aware that this issue is a divisive one in your party, not to mention across the country,” said John to the Taoiseach. “However, it is now widely acknowledged that we need to put aside our morals, our emotions, and adopt an evidence-based approach to this debate.”

Then came the question. In the interests of accountability, will he instruct his Fine Gael candidates to publicly state their position on the repeal or otherwise of the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution?

“Voters are entitled to know exactly where candidates stand on the issue before they cast their vote,” said John, not unreasonably. Not a peek out of the supposed legislators.

Nothing. Just an awkward, queasy silence. The Taoiseach, looking very grave, replied with some nice waffle. He’s not going to presume anything about the outcome of the election. Furthermore, “the matter” is very divisive and very bitter and has been debated in the country for more than 30 years.

Then he offered a searing insight. “The Eighth Amendment is obviously the case in point here.” Before adding: “I have always said that I am opposed to abortion on demand.” Which has nothing to do with repealing the amendment, the removal of which won’t interfere with the existing ban on abortion.

Enda has a disappointing view of Irish women if he believes they’ll end up queuing outside clinics on their lunch hour to “demand” terminations. And he can’t think much of his own or his fellow TDs’ abilities as legislators if he fears the first thing they’ll do should the amendment be removed is to make abortion as freely available to women as vasectomies are for men.

Citizens’ assembly

Happily, he is “committed” to setting up a “citizens’ assembly” to look at the question. This will be followed “by analysis by an appropriate Oireachtas committee” and “if out of that process, taking into account the comprehensive and sensitive analysis, there is a set of options to be considered that comes to this House, the Members of this party will have a free vote on that”.

A voice came from the vicinity of Clare Daly and Joan Collins. “A citizen’s assembly? You’re in one.”

John Halligan told a story about 32-year-old Anna Maria from Waterford, who had an abortion last month. She drove alone to Dublin, then caught a plane, driving alone to London.

“There she was picked up by a minibus with eight other women in the vehicle. She told me that the eight others were all aged 17 to 19, some of whom were vomiting and weeping. She said that what frightened her most was the silence on that minibus as they were taken to the clinic, where nobody spoke, as well as the isolation and the loneliness.”

Then they made the same journey back. That woman had come to the Dáil to hear him tell her story. Nobody looked up to see if they could see her.

“I believe the Taoiseach to be a man of compassion. Would he allow this to happen to his own daughter?” asked Halligan. “I have three daughters and I would not like to see any of them having to go.”

Enda said he’d read about the woman’s story. He also saw something on television about a woman who kept her baby after getting a diagnosis of fatal foetal abnormality. So he thinks there should be a rational and sensitive discussion to tease everything out.

Enda Kenny is Taoiseach and father of the Dáil. He has been a legislator for decades. And he’s only now learning about an issue that concerns Irish women from what he reads and what he sees on the television. And no, he didn’t say his candidates should be brave enough to say what way they stand on the amendment.