The Ceann Comhairle is getting crankier by the day. He’s marvellous.
He threw Billy Kelleher of Fianna Fáil out of the chamber on Thursday for being disruptive. He has Richard Boyd-Barrett of the People Before Profit Alliance stepping in and out of the place like Lanigan’s Ball.
Sean Barrett strictly applies the rules. On Wednesday Pádraig Mac Lochlainn of Sinn Féin had a question about school buses. “Ahead of the last general election the Fine Gael party education spokesperson, Ulick Burke, assured rural communities . . .” he began, before Barrett cut him off. “Before the election,” he boomed. “It doesn’t matter now.”
Barrett is not afraid to let his former party colleagues in Fine Gael feel the sharp side of his tongue, either. His patience appears to be running out with the heckling of Opposition leaders by backbenchers. Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin is getting frustrated by the interruptions, and one of his chief tormenters is Jerry Buttimer, a constituency rival in Cork South Central. Backbenchers are betting that Butsy will be the first from the Government side to get the order of the boot from Barrett.
