Emperor’s new robes restored after flap
The Dáil was agog at the scale of the scandal as Seanie had to say sorry — sort of — to Micheál and Gerry for telling Miriam they had been picking on him.
Meanwhile, in the real world, the scandal of Central Statistics Office data — released two weeks ago — showing 140,000 children in this country are now rooted in consistent poverty without basics such as heating or warm clothes has yet to be debated in the Dáil — even in the 12-minute toy-town topical issue time slot.
But enough of the real world, back to what TDs really care about — themselves.
Fianna Fáil’s Micheál Martin and Sinn Féin’s Gerry Adams were furious with Ceann Comhairle Seán Barrett over a radio outburst stemming from his block on a debate into alleged Garda wrong-doing because it might impinge on a High Court case taken by former justice minister Alan Shatter.
The Opposition complained that Mr Barrett had been leant on by a legal letter from Mr Shatter and had thus stymied debate without fully explaining why.
Not so, insisted the Ceann Comhairle as he gave a histrionic interview to Miriam O’Callaghan from Dublin Airport on Friday.
After the highly choreographed outing of Health Minister Leo Varadkar last month, Miriam proved once again she is a dab hand at gently pushing Fine Gaelers into the open.
“D’you get a sense, Seán Barrett, that maybe the Opposition, both Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin, are in some way out to get you, to undermine you?” Miriam trilled.
“Of course they are! Of course they are!” declared the Ceann Comhairle — a response made all the more arresting as it was delivered in a howl of rage so high-pitched it must have shattered every single piece of fine glass in Dublin Airport.
That departure gate wail of woe saw Mr Barrett taxied to the departure gate of his own job as the Opposition darkly muttered about a vote of no confidence.
Given the overwhelming Government majority, the vote would have been won by Mr Barrett, but his authority would have been lost in the process, and he would have had to pass on the dinky gavel with which he hits his little bell to a successor as he slipped into the shadows of the Fine Gael benches.
With dark clouds of crisis gathering over Leinster House, the Dáil was awash with to-ings and fro-ings as dramatic late-night phone calls between the Ceann Comhairle and Mr Martin, and meetings between Oireachtas officials and Sinn Féiners, sought to pull the nation back from the brink of disaster.
The upshot was an act of atonement from Seanie to the Dáil as he interrupted business with a personal statement that carefully stopped short of an apology to Micheál and Gerry in which he said he would gladly withdraw his remarks to Miriam.
Oh, how those 140,000 children must have slept more soundly last night knowing that, while they may not have heating or warm clothes, the dignity of our Dáil deputies, their political egos, and the national parliament has been restored once more.
Miriam once again proved a dab hand at outing Fine Gaelers
