IT IS hard to know whether Oireachtas members or the general public are more relieved by the eventual arrival of Dáil holidays. When not conspiring against their leaders, elected representatives devoted the past number of weeks to impassioned debates over stag hunting and dog breeding while a disillusioned and increasingly frustrated electorate had to watch disability services being cut, living standards fall and dole queues lengthen. A break was badly needed.
Loss of discipline within Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael has been the most striking feature of the past session. An Irish Times opinion poll, which showed the Labour Party to have overtaken Fine Gael, precipitated a front bench challenge to Enda Kenny’s leadership which he repulsed with considerable effect. Rumblings of dissent caused Brian Cowen to insist he would lead Fianna Fáil into the coming general election, even as a fifth TD jumped ship and three senators sought relief from religious pressure over civil partnership legislation. With the Coalition’s voting majority under threat and three by-elections pending, the Government is running out of time.
Traditionally, unpopular governments regain public support during the summer break. That may be because ministers avoid being berated constantly by their political opponents. Whatever the reason, it does not justify a 12-week Dáil holiday, even if legislative committees continue to meet. At a time when the Government is promoting an agenda of productivity and reform within the public service, its own working arrangements require serious attention. A three-day Dáil working week, for seven months of the year, does not represent good value for democracy.
Tension between Fianna Fáil and the Green Party is unlikely to dissipate as John Gormley continues to campaign against a Dublin incinerator and demands an early election date for a directly elected lord mayor. There is also the issue of banning corporate donations. And the planning process is a mess.
Budgetary decisions involving cuts of €3 billion in public expenditure will take up much of the Cabinet’s time as the summer draws to a close. Central to that exercise will be implementation of the Croke Park deal with public sector unions and the savings that can be secured in return for undertakings on pay and pensions. A litany of past failures to secure effective reform should encourage Finance Minister Brian Lenihan to hold firm. The only alternative would appear to be the introduction of a property tax, as recommended by the National Competitive Council and the Government’s own tax experts. Facing internal revolt on that thorny issue during the week, however, Mr Lenihan seems to have pushed it into the distant future. But, politicians are inveterate optimists, no matter how bleak their prospects. The Labour Party is delighted and bemused by its sudden popularity. Fine Gael believes a new front bench can lead it back to the future. Fianna Fáil is hoping for economic and psychological miracles: green shoots growing into a jungle of prosperity and an electorate willing to forget what happened.