The Dáil was brought to a standstill again yesterday in a continuation of the explosive row between Opposition forces and the Government over speaking rights.
A vote was passed yesterday awarding more speaking time to backbenchers including Michael Lowry and his Independents.
Following this, Opposition TDs disrupted the proceedings, leading Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy to suspend the Dáil for the day and cancelling all other orders for business.
TDs are set to return to Leinster House today, where Sinn Féin plan to put forward a vote of no confidence against Deputy Murphy.
Dublin South-West TD for People Before Profit Paul Murphy told Newstalk Breakfast that “a fundamental subversion of the basic principles of parliamentary democracy was ran through yesterday”.
“The Government has made much of saying this is only about eight minutes [of speaking time that the Opposition will lose] - that is simply not true,” he said.
“It’s not true on two levels; one, this is about fundamental principles about, for example, what the role of leader's questions are.
“Since the foundation of the Dáil, leaders' questions have been for the Opposition to hold the Government to account.
“Now, if they get away with this, leaders' questions are going to be partly about that and it’s going to be partly about Michael Lowry - but also Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael backbenchers asking questions of the Government, saying how great the Government are.”
According to Deputy Murphy, the total loss of Opposition time will come to 69.5 minutes a week, between time taken from the Opposition’s right to object to the order of business and a reduction in private member’s business.
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A vote of no-confidence against Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy would be expected to fail, as the Government has a majority in the Dáil.
However, Deputy Murphy said he is not personally focused on trying to force the Ceann Comhairle to resign.
“I think we need to force the Government back and force the Government to remove the standing order change that was ran through yesterday, and the protests need to continue to do so,” he said.
“This is not just about our rights as an Opposition to hold the Government to account, it’s about the rights of future Opposition.
“I don’t accept that all these important issues happening in the world – housing crisis, Trump, Gaza, [that] they are counterposed to this.
“Because if we lose our rights as an Opposition to hold the Government to account, our ability to raise these issues for our constituents is massively reduced.”
Deputy Murphy said, “I do not accept that this is over”.
Main image: Opposition leaders outside Goveernment Builings, Dublin, speaking to the media where they said they do not have confidence in the speaker of the Dail Verona Murphy and that they would meet on Wednesday morning to discuss how to respond to the latest in the Dail speaking row. Picture date: Tuesday March 25, 2025.
