Dail is a stage as 'Sinn Feign' theatrics descend into farce

It escalated to Defcon 1 with startling speed. One minute, it was business as usual in the Dail chamber with the sort of fractious exchanges between Joan Burton and Mary Lou McDonald which have become commonplace when they regularly tangle during the Thursday session of Leaders' Questions.

But all of a sudden, all holy hell broke loose. The Sinn Fein deputy leader proclaimed herself to be unhappy with the answers provided by the Tanaiste relating to the forthcoming water charges package and began heckling Joan.

The Tanaiste, perhaps conscious of how she had landed herself in hot water the previous week by bandying figures about the Dail, was not minded to reveal any details of the package before all is revealed by the Government next week.

"Resume your seat," barked the Ceann Comhairle Sean Barrett, who was evidently having flashbacks to a similar altercation with her on Budget Day last month, which ended with her ejection from the chamber. "I won't resume my seat," snapped back an angry Mary Lou.

As a hubbub of roaring rose from the Sinn Fein seats, Sean shot to his feet. "Resume your seat or leave the house," he ordered, pointing to the door with what was perhaps undue haste.

But Mary Lou was having none of it. Not even when a vote was taken to suspend her from the chamber. She simply refused to quit her seat. And thus a bizarre four hours ensued. Instead of immediately suspending the business of the House, the Ceann Comhairle let the clock tick down to the finishing time of 4.30pm. The session would resume only if Mary Lou left.

TDs from all sides wandered around the chamber, unsure of what exactly was going on, as this lengthy stand-off was unprecedented. There was even a bit of humour bandied about - "I'll take the Ceann Comhairle's place," suggested Richard Boyd Barrett, putting his hand in the air.

Leo Varadkar sat down in the Taoiseach's seat - Enda himself was en route to the US. "I'm in charge now - I've waited so long for this day," he joked to amusement on all sides of the chamber.

But not everyone appreciated the grandstand-off. As the Tanaiste left the chamber, Sinn Fein's Sandra McLellan shouted: "All you had to do was answer the question."

Joan turned around and glared at her. "I don't have full details to provide at this stage," she said. "And why didn't you answer the questions yesterday?" she continued, referring to Wednesday's statements on sex abuse by IRA members. "The actions you took over past years were hurtful to a lot of people who suffered at your hands," Joan added, as she made her exit.

Time ticked by in the deathly quiet, almost empty chamber. Above in the public gallery, ushers tried to explain to groups of puzzled schoolchildren that this was democracy in action. Democracy inaction, more like. Mid-afternoon, Leo tweeted: "Legislation today to increase child benefit and reduce stamp duty on health insurance held up by Mary Lou."

"It's like the silence of the town in 'High Noon'," observed Joe Higgins, from the back row. Pearse Doherty strolled in and presented Mary Lou with a packet of Polo mints for sustenance.

At 4.30, a choleric Ceann Comhairle materialised briefly to bring down the curtain on this sorry farce.

Afterwards, a coterie of Sinn Fein deputies hustled on to the plinth to make some extra hay out of the stand-off. Mary Lou flatly denied that it had been a 'Sinn Feign' stunt, a cooked-up and cynical ploy to divert news coverage away from the plight of IRA rape victim Mairia Cahill.

The Ceann Comhairle's attitude to Sinn Fein was "deplorable", she declared. "When it comes to the people we and I represent, we're not going to be told to sit down and be quiet."

Ah yes, plucky Sinn Fein, everybody against them as they go about representing the ordinary people - unless your name is Mairia Cahill, of course.

Irish Independent