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The perpetually offended one tried to bring down the Tánaiste again on Tuesday. Different arena, same tired rhetoric. It was his second attempt in a week. The omens were bad. Sinn Féin decided to go after Leo Varadkar on November 10, the feast of Saint Leo the Great. If we didn’t know this before Dáil’s vote of confidence in the Fine Gael leader, we did know later because the Leo Coalition cheerleaders canonized him on the spot during the debate.
The first Lion the Great died in 460 and was the first Pope to be called “the Great”. Greatness does not do justice to the current one who, having admitted last week that he could be infallible, was praised by his beloved colleagues.
While nearly two hours of increasingly cloying tributes threatened to rot every tooth within a mile radius of the Dublin Convention Center, former Fine Gael minister Joe McHugh had us reach for the sick bucket with his eye descriptions misty of a Tánaiste “focused on solutions” that “at all times was aware of the enormous responsibility that fell on his shoulders so young”.
But if Leo’s exaltation was difficult to accept, the lack of any new argument amid the arrogant, smug self-righteousness that radiated from the other side was even worse.
Opposition anger
Regardless of the opposition’s anger over Varadkar’s leak of a confidential document about a salary agreement reached with the Irish Medical Organization to an acquaintance representing a rival group of doctors, the why and motives for the episode had been discussed in the Dáil a week before.
The Tánaiste’s explanations stretched credulity in parts, but he apologized on the floor of the Dáil and then took questions from the Opposition. The Taoiseach and a slightly nauseating Fianna Fáil forgave their indiscretion and the Coalition, with its majority vote in Dáil, rowed behind Varadkar. Unless something else came up to undermine Leo’s story, this controversy was going nowhere.
But Sinn Féin wanted to move on, serving the overheated and refried remains of the controversy with a motion of no confidence in the Tánaiste. Not the best idea, when the only weapon in your arsenal was the familiar recitation of phrases that began with “the politics of. . . “ending with any combination of” cozy club, “” cozy club culture, “” old man’s network, “” golden circle, “” privileged culture, “and” Brian Hayes. “Whereas, crucially,” call time ” In all this.
Bury the Shinners
If Sinn Féin came to bury the Tánaiste, Varadkar’s government colleagues responded by doing their best to bury the Shinners.
Fine Gael and Fianna Fail’s TDs were vicious. Sinn Féin was beaten from pillar to post by a wave of government deputies who took over the party with their crumpled cliches until they exploded. One after another, they seized the buzzwords and nonsensical sound bites and threw them at their political defenders.
The Taoiseach led the charge, pointing out that while Fianna Fáil may not enjoy having to defend Varadkar, the party will not be prompted to bring down the government by a blatantly opportunistic attempt by Mary Lou McDonald and her strategists.
The Government presented a counter-motion and won it. There was never any doubt.
When the session came to a close, Louth’s independent TD Peter Fitzpatrick declared that the entire exercise had been a waste of time. As a motion of confidence required all Dáil members to participate in a full vote, Tuesday’s proceedings had to be moved from Leinster House to the Convention Center in accordance with Covid-19 distancing rules at a cost of € 25,000.
‘Waste of taxpayers’ money’
“It is a complete waste of taxpayer money. We surely have more important issues to discuss ”.
One issue they would not discuss was the situation involving Séamus Woulfe, who refuses to resign as Supreme Court Justice despite the fact that the Chief Justice and his colleagues on the court want him to resign because of his role in “Golfgate.” And its less judicious handling of its consequences.
There were enormous efforts to keep the Woulfe away from the Dáil gate after Ceann Comhairle issued a stern warning to MPs to watch what they say in this delicate situation for politicians, now that he has been landed on his plate by spikes. .
However, one thing we learned is that whatever we are paying the current Attorney General is not enough. The Government issued a very short statement, I have no idea how we are going to handle this, after Séamus’s situation was discussed in the Cabinet.
Paul Gallagher warned the government that “serious constitutional” issues are at stake. Who would have thought?
Populist politics
Back at the Convention Center, Sinn Féin’s policy was criticized by speakers as Trump’s populist policy. But now there is a new man at work and the people of Taoiseach were so happy to hear that Joe Biden was going to contact him that they tweeted before their phone conversation happened.
This is like Varadkar’s old friend sending WhatsApp messages about his meetings with the then taoiseach, which he now says never happened.
But Micheál and Joe had their tete-a-tete and the Taoiseach, looking flushed but happy, returned in time to open the debate.
Where were the “blockbuster” revelations that Sinn Féin said would justify his motion of no confidence, he wondered? They never came.
“Nothing has changed significantly since last week’s session,” he said, calling the motion a “100 percent cynical move.” It was an example of “the policy of always looking for an angle.”
Thud
He then said that he was “happy” to propose a motion of confidence in his Tánaiste.
There was a thud in the background. That was his Sligo TD Marc MacSharry hitting the ground in shock.
Simon Coveney lashed out at Sinn Féin’s “faceless online trolls and their backers” who were “carrying out a campaign of political smear disguised as whistle-blowing to inflict maximum political damage.” It was “the politics of division and resentment.”
Heather Humphreys took the clubs. Sinn Féin was the richest party in the country “you even invited Donald Trump to one of your gold-plated dinners in America.”
Labor Aodhán Ó Ríordáin said that his party was voting without confidence in the Tánaiste, but it was not voting out of respect for Sinn Féin, which presents itself “as a friend of the ethical left” but is nothing of the kind: they practice political insider and they are enslaved by an old man’s club in Belfast when they say they want to oppose her.
“We are in a Coalition. It’s not a club, “explained Eamon Ryan.
Time and again, they attacked Sinn Féin while praising Varadkar for his “politics of decency”. Paschal Donohoe’s eyes were cloudy as he marveled at how wonderful Leo is.
McDonald was not bothered by the attacks. She put all the usual lines. “The old guard came together to prevent change. . .the privileged and welcoming club of politics. . . Fine Gael’s Cozy Culture Club ”.
The Taoiseach was “standing idly” and letting Leo go.
“Now we are calling the politics of the cozy club time.”
Joe McHugh told fellow TD Pearse Doherty from Donegal: “You can do all the screaming and roaring you want, you won’t make the decisions, it will be the guys around that monitor at the old boys club in Belfast tonight.”
And the Sinn Féin MP shouted “Are we going to allow this cozy insider club to continue or are we going to vote for accountability?”
“This is the first time I have faced a motion of distrust in my life,” sniffed Saint Leo the Great.
Does not matter. You will collect your reward in heaven.
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