An Taoiseach, Micheál Martin TD Confidence Motion Debate

CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY 

I move the motion that “Dáil Éireann has confidence in the Ceann Comháirle.”

As we begin this debate, I hope that members of the opposition will allow others to be heard and that they will not engage in the systematic barracking which we have seen in recent months.

This is an extremely serious debate which goes to the heart of a range of fundamental issues about how this democratic parliament operates.

It is profoundly regrettable that this debate is being held today. There is nothing in the behaviour of the Ceann Comháirle which justifies the opposition’s attempt to remove her.

It is the sad culmination of an escalating, two-month long campaign of aggression and disruption by much of the opposition.

A campaign during which we have heard wild denunciations, the blockading of basic democratic business and the growing intimidation of elected representatives.

It is a campaign of aggression and disruption which is wildly disproportionate to any issue at hand, and it has at its core, a demand that the minority should have the right to import mob politics into this chamber.

And having given us scenes last week which had never before been recorded in 106 years of this democratic parliament, the opposition decided it would seek the Ceann Comháirle’s head.

Having broken literally every single rule of this House.

Having shouted down business.

Having started to chant and abuse others.

Having refused to even allow the democratically elected chairperson of this House to be heard, they are now claiming that it is she who should be censured.

The opposition is trying to manufacture a claim that it was actually the Ceann Comháirle who behaved inappropriately. That she is the person in this House who should be attacked.

The arsonists are demanding that we censure the fire brigade.

And let no one be in any doubt, there is not one bit of good faith in the arguments we have been hearing from Sinn Fein and the parts of the opposition which have joined them in their aggression and disruption.

Over the last 106 years the standing orders and structure of daily business of Dáil Éireann have changed regularly and often quite radically.

There has never been a requirement for all parties to agree a change before it can be implemented.

There has never before been a debate as long and as disruptive as there has been on these changes – changes which will mean that the Irish opposition will retain a greater share of speaking time and more opportunities to question the government than any other opposition in Europe.

No rights are being infringed.

The opening of every day will continue to be dominated by questions from the opposition – and the opposition will continue to have a share of speaking time well beyond what is proportional to their mandate.

And yet, we continue to hear escalating and hysterical claims about democracy being undermined.

The people who come in here to shout at and intimidate others believe that they can lecture us about democracy.

The cynicism of this was shown by no less than three Sinn Fein sources who confirmed to a journalist in recent days that they would step back from continuing with a programme of rolling disruption of the Dáil because “they believe the damage to the Coalition has been done.”

The opposition’s true motivation has never been about opposing giving deputies who support government a slightly improved chance to be heard.

It is part of strategy to destroy the ability of others to form a stable government and implement its agenda in parliament.

And further proof of this is found in the fact that the largest party in the opposition has actually been quite open about its strategy.

Before the Dáil met, journalists were told that Sinn Fein intended to be more aggressive in this Dáil.

There would be less trying to look like an alternative government and much greater focus on total opposition.

Sinn Fein’s record of regularly collapsing the democratically elected Assembly is one that they feel has worked for them and helped it to overtake other parties.

And their assumption was that they would be able to get the media to accept their framing of everything always being the fault of others.

They believed that the dominance of briefings in Leinster House on news coverage would enable them to avoid having to answer any questions.

That’s why their Minister for Enterprise in Belfast resigned and came down to oversee operations in Leinster House. And the impact of the new strategy has been seen here every day.

Day after day it has become harder to be heard if Sinn Fein wants to have a go.

The strategy has been implemented with the rigid discipline and control of elected representatives which is unique to Sinn Fein.

We saw this last week when Deputy Carty left his usual place to sit near the back and coordinate disruptions with Deputy Doherty who led proceedings at the front.

And having collapsed the business of this democratically elected parliament, Sinn Fein then did what it always does – it played the victim, blaming others for the scenes it had planned and orchestrated.

Having broken every rule governing behaviour in the Dáil, and making it impossible to hear anything, they are not only disputing the Ceann Comháirle’s ruling but also the detailed explanation of the Clerk of the Dáil.

If the opposition wants to be taken seriously during this debate, the first thing they should do is acknowledge that their behaviour made the Ceann Comhairle’s job almost impossible.

And they should also acknowledge that the simple fact is, that the majority of this parliament supported the motion before the House while they ignored every basic rule and democratic principle in trying to block it.

And it is important that everyone understands that this new aggression has been extended into other areas.

Until the start of this Dáil the tradition had been that new Deputies would be given the space and goodwill to settle into their new role. Respect for others has been a hallmark of this parliament in the past.

 Unfortunately, I have been told by a number of new Deputies that they have been subject to verbal abuse by supporters of certain opposition parties.

This has been made worse by the refusal of opposition leaders to restrain their members and call for basic civility.

We all know that public representatives need to be more careful today than in the past. But this situation risks getting much worse when you have individual TDs being attacked for supporting the formation of a government and we hear wild claims about “jackboot democracy” and “silencing the opponents of government.”

If we continue to see this extreme escalation in the rhetoric deployed in debating every issue, the change to our political culture will be permanent and deeply destructive.

It is extremely sad that two parties which claimed to the electorate that they were centre left have been full participants in Sinn Fein’s cynical strategy of escalating rhetoric and disruption.

They cannot even bring themselves to admit that mob behaviour from Deputies is unacceptable.

This is very stark when compared with past practice and how Labour in particular understood the difference between democratic opposition and destructive opposition.

Last week a Sinn Fein spokesperson said on Virgin Media that “Leaders’ Questions were set up at the foundation of the state to hold the government to account.”

They were of course introduced not in 1919 or 1922 but in 2001.

Labour opposed the introduction of Leaders’ questions because it felt that the alternative of a free-for-all on the Order of Business was better for the opposition.

The party also questioned the then Ceann Comháirle’s rulings.

The party strongly opposed the changes but understood that its response should be proportionate. The government went with the introduction of Leaders’ Questions following a two-hour debate.

The contrast with how Labour and the Social Democrats have now cooperated as junior partners in Sinn Fein’s strategy of aggression and disruption is striking.

As well as the disruption of Dáil business the extreme nature of many of the denunciations of government are not harmless.

On a near daily basis there are attacks calling us “complicit in genocide,” “destroyers of democracy” and “warmongers determined to send Irish young people to die in European wars.”

This type of extreme rhetoric, and the mob disruption of parliamentary business, must not be normalised.

Over the last few months, I have talked with many other European leaders about the growth of extreme politics and the impact which this is having on their parliaments.

The disruptions we have seen here, and the attack on the Ceann Comháirle, are very much part of a pattern where extreme parties have sought to undermine public faith in the idea that anything can be achieved.

The one consistent message from every country is to stand firmly against this behaviour. If it is accepted as normal it will be destructive of parliamentary democracy.

This Dáil is still in its relatively early stages.

Our ability to fulfil our mandates is at stake.

Let me be very clear on behalf of my party, and on behalf of the majority of Deputies, we will not stay silent as you try to intimidate this House and its chairperson.

You will not succeed in imposing rule by minority.

You will not block the democratic business of this House, roaring and chanting and then blaming everyone else for your behaviour.

In the 106 years of Dáil Éireann issues of dramatically higher importance than the changes implemented last week have been dealt with without collapsing Dáil business and without a cynical attempt to blame the Ceann Comháirle for pre-planned and coordinated disruption.

Each of us who has received the great personal honour of being elected to serve the people in this place has an obligation to leave the tactics of disruption and aggression outside.

This applies to the opposition as much as those who support the government – particularly as you have greater opportunities to speak and ask questions than is found elsewhere in the democratic world.

Our country is facing enormous threats. Threats which may be felt in every community and every household.

We do not have the time to waste on cynical strategies of aggression and disruption.

We do not have the time to waste on this effort to remove the Ceann Comhairle because she wouldn’t bow down before an opposition which demands that the minority have the right to veto our business.

This attempt to remove the Ceann Comháirle will fail.

The strategy of aggression and disruption will fail.

And this Dáil will be able to get on with doing the people’s business.