More on the Government’s risible attempt to pull the wool over the electorate’s eyes by pretending it’s business as usual in the Dáil next week

Both Miriam Lord and Marie O'Halloran from the Irish Times are reporting on the Government’s proposals to change next week’s Dáil business when the House will have no order of business, question time, adjournment debates or votes.

Amid scenes of unfettered roaring, history was made in Leinster House yesterday.

“This will not impress the wider population,” trembled Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin. What was the Deputy so worked up about? Deputy Ó Caoláin was in a lather over the Government’s risible attempt to pull the wool over the electorate’s eyes by pretending it’s business as usual in the Dáil next week.

A seven-day recess was planned until some of the brighter Government TDs realised how bad this looked. So a makey-up working week consisting of a day and a half of waffle – no question time, no votes, no order of business – is now going to take place.

TDs will come in and fill time by reading statements on various bits of legislation and no one will pay a blind bit of notice to them.

Then normal work will resume the week after next. There was pandemonium about the proposal.

How can the Greens support this? This is shameful and unprecedented.