Opposition leaders have voiced no confidence in the speaker of Ireland’s parliament.
The move against Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy came following a meeting of the leaders of the main opposition parties on Wednesday morning to discuss their response after the Dail was disrupted on Tuesday amid an acrimonious row on speaking time changes.
Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald urged Ms Murphy to reflect on her “untenable” position as she addressed the Dail at the start of the scheduled Leaders’ Questions session on Wednesday afternoon.
She accused the Ceann Comhairle of partisanship in her handling of Tuesday’s proceedings.
Ms McDonald made clear she would table a formal motion of no confidence in Ms Murphy if it was necessary.
The Sinn Fein leader said the Ceann Comhairle’s actions on Tuesday were “demonstrably partisan” and lacked the “impartiality and independence demanded of your position”.
“So, who convinced you to play your part in this disgraceful charade, or is it simply that bias for the government is baked into the very deal that secured your position?” Ms McDonald asked the speaker.
“That is now the question.”
The Sinn Fein leader continued: “Ceann Comhairle, not alone have you lost the confidence of the entire opposition; you have, in fact, decimated it.
“The Dail cannot function properly whilst you remain in the chair.
“Above all the Ceann Comhairle must be impartial, fair and independent, and by your actions you have demonstrated that you are not.
“Your position is therefore untenable.
“So, I ask you to reflect very carefully on this, because you need to go.”
Labour party leader Ivana Bacik said she did not believe Dail rules had been applied “fairly and impartially” by Ms Murphy.
“That is why this morning, together with my parliamentary party we agreed to ask to reflect on your position over coming days,” she said.
“If not, if necessary, we will have no option to table a motion of no confidence in you.
“And I regret that it has come to this.”
There were chaotic scenes of shouting, interruptions and allegations of misogyny on Tuesday as weeks of tension over the speaking rights row boiled over during Leaders’ Questions.
Ms Murphy faced continual interruptions as she tried to continue proceedings as opposition TDs took to their feet and objected to the Government’s proposals to change speaking time arrangements.
She declared the changes to the standing orders passed before adjourning the Dail. However, opposition leaders insist the vote was not properly conducted.
They also accused her of earlier pushing through the Government’s proposed order of business for the Dail without acknowledging an opposition request for a vote.
The row has its origins in the formation of Ireland’s current coalition involving Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, supported by several independent TDs.
Some of those independents have been appointed as junior ministers while the others had sought to join an opposition technical group for the purposes of speaking time, despite supporting the formation of Government.
The controversial changes to standing orders include the creation of new speaking slots for coalition backbenchers and Government-aligned independents, a reduction of time for contributions on debating the order of business, and a halving of slots for Taoiseach’s Questions.
Opposition parties are vehemently opposed to the changes, characterising them as an attempt to dilute their ability to hold the Government to account and to blur the relationship between the independents who have supported the formation of the coalition.
The dispute delayed Micheal Martin’s nomination as Taoiseach in January and has trundled on despite several inter-party meetings and the intervention of the Ceann Comhairle, in favour of the opposition.
Tensions boiled over on Tuesday with the Dail witnessing angry scenes as Ms Murphy presided over a vote on the changes.
Mr Martin has accused the opposition of trying to bully and intimidate Ms Murphy, and said it “marked a new low” for the opposition.
Responding in the Dail on Wednesday, Mr Martin accused Sinn Fein of pursuing a “destructive model of opposition” and trying to bring the “loudhailer politics of the street” into the Dail.
He told Ms McDonald: “Your stated objective here is to undermine this institution, to undermine the Government, to reduce the Government majority and to create mayhem. That is what you are about.”
Fianna Fail leader Mr Martin said the opposition’s “intimidatory barracking” of newly-elected TDs marked a “new low” for behaviour in the Dail.
He expressed concern that the Dail “would never be the same again” after the scenes witnessed on Tuesday.
The Taoiseach also accused Labour leader Ms Bacik of “parroting” Sinn Fein’s line.
“You’ve tied yourself to the hip of Sinn Fein and you’ll regret it,” he said.
Mr Martin said he was aware of a lot of ordinary members of the Labour Party who were not happy that Ms Bacik had become an “appendage to the Sinn Fein party”.
Social Democrats deputy leader Cian O’Callaghan said it was essential that the Ceann Comhairle enjoys the confidence of both government and opposition.
“Clearly, this is no longer the case. I do think you need to reflect on that position,” he told the Dail.
Meanwhile, People Before Profit-Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger accused the government of attempting to remove itself “more and more from being challenged”.
Earlier, deputy premier Simon Harris said Tuesday’s disruption was “regrettable, unseemly and unbecoming”.
Fine Gael leader Mr Harris said the level of anger displayed by the opposition was “disproportionate” and did not “indicate a willingness to try and find a way forward here”.
Speaking to reporters in Lebanon, Mr Harris said the public wanted to see elected representatives work on the issues facing Ireland, including housing, economic headwinds from the EU-US trade dispute and the safety of Irish peacekeepers abroad.
“What has happened in the Dail is really regrettable, really unbecoming, really unseemly, but we’ve got to move forward now, because I think the people who pay our wages, our bosses, the people of Ireland, want us to get on with it,” he said.
Asked if Government could do anything to ameliorate opposition concerns, he suggested the re-establishment of committees may see a return to cross-party work.
“The Dail needs to get into that rhythm now,” said Mr Harris.
He added: “We need to move on and restore decorum in the Dail chamber.”
Asked about an incident during Tuesday’s session in which Government-supporting independent TD Michael Lowry raised two fingers up to members of the opposition, Mr Harris said: “I think that was also unseemly and unbecoming, but I think that behaviour wasn’t isolated to any one deputy.
“Because I think when you have grown men standing up and shouting and roaring at the Ceann Comhairle and refusing to follow her direction – a person who was elected to implement the rules of the House.
“You know the rules are very simple.
“When the Ceann Comhairle stands up, you sit down.
“And to see adults standing up, shouting and roaring, hooping and hollering, isn’t anything you’d want see in any workplace, least of all the Dail.”
