New blow for coalition as stag bill goes to the wire
Fianna Fail TD Christy O'Sullivan will have to explain today why he missed one vote, but may be given a reprieve as he voted with the Government on the second.
Labour last night removed the party whip from Mr Broughan for abstaining from the vote. After a previous abstention, he was warned this would happen if there was any repeat.
On an evening of high drama, the two Fianna Fail TDs took the party leadership by surprise by abstaining on the first vote on the new laws.
At a tense Fianna Fail parliamentary party meeting, Taoiseach Brian Cowen made it clear that any TD who abstained or voted against the Government would immediately lose the party whip. He said it was the duty of Fianna Fail TDs to vote with the Government.
Dissident
But Mr Cowen was prevailed upon by a number of TDs, including Timmy Dooley, Michael McGrath, Beverly Flynn and Michael Kennedy, to persuade the two dissident deputies to come back into the fold as the Government could not afford to lose more TDs.
Inside the Dail chamber, before the final vote, several ministers and TDs surrounded Mr McGrath and Mr O'Sullivan urging them to vote for the legislation.
Mr O'Sullivan gave in but Mr McGrath proceeded to vote against the Government.
The focus will now switch to Environment Minister John Gormley's second piece of legislation -- on dog breeding -- which is due to be voted on next week.
The minister is set to make major concessions to Fianna Fail backbenchers to keep greyhounds out of the new inspection regime and legislation.
But the fallout from the Greens' animal welfare laws extends beyond the coalition.
The Labour Party also has an internal inquiry ongoing after transport spokesman Tommy Broughan went missing for the vote. Mr Broughan abstained on a vote on gangland crime laws last year, which his party was opposing.
And the head of the state greyhound racing board will be asked to explain his position after he encouraged Fianna Fail TDs to vote against the dog breeding bill next week.
In a highly unusual move for a public servant, Irish Greyhound Board (IGB) chief executive Adrian Neilan said Fianna Fail backbenchers should "stand up and be counted and vote against this bill".
Agriculture Minister Brendan Smith is understood to have been extremely angry with what he regarded as inappropriate comments.
Mr Neilan wrote a letter of apology to Mr Smith yesterday.
The minister spoke with IGB chairman Dick O'Sullivan yesterday, who will now bring it to his board, a spokesman confirmed.
Mr Gormley did not express a view on Mr Neilan's comments. "The minister has no comment to make. The minister is concerned with the legislation at this time," a spokesman said.
During heated exchanges in the Dail, Mr Gormley was accused by Labour's Willie Penrose of being against rural Ireland -- remarks which drew rapturous applause from pro-hunt lobbyists in the public gallery.
"You know nothing about rural Ireland. You know nothing about the rural way of life," he said.
Government Chief Whip John Curran confirmed Mr McGrath has immediately lost the party whip and he would be meeting with Mr O'Sullivan today to establish why he had missed the first of the evening's votes on the issue.
Mr Curran said it was still the Government's intention to see out the remaining two years of its term in office.
Mr Gormley accused Labour of being "hypocritical" in their opposition to his legislation.
Mr McGrath said his vote was in protest at the Greens' policies in Government and he said the stag hunting ban was a "nonsense issue".
Irish Independent
