Friday, April 30, 2010

Let them eat cake (and hug trees ...)

Michael O'Regan's Dail Sketch in the Irish Times April 30th 2010.

Yesterday the Government voted to adjourn the House until next Wednesday and dispense with the usual Tuesday sitting. This despite the fact that the Dáil returned last week after a two-week Easter break.

The pressing issues to be discussed, including the job losses at Quinn Insurance, were listed by Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny and Labour leader Eamon Gilmore who wanted a Tuesday sitting.

Mary Coughlan sipped water and made no attempt to defend the Government’s proposal. Green Party Ministers were equally tongue-tied. The Government voted the proposal through.

Gilmore also accused the Government of breaking a promise to 300,000 low-income families whose costs for home heating oil would be increased this weekend by the carbon levy. “I know the Marie Antoinettes in the Green Party may say to low income families, ‘let them heat by alternative energy measures’,” he added. “They can hug trees to keep warm,” said Fine Gael’s Bernard Durkan.

Despite this, there will be no Tuesday sitting. As far as the Government is concerned, the Opposition and the public can eat cake when it comes to Dáil reform. The word is that the Government plans another week’s Dáil holiday in June, by which time, no doubt, it will be ready to limp into the July summer recess.

1 comment:

  1. Are "real" Greens against carbon taxation now?

    ReplyDelete