Dáil Sketch:John Gormley could hardly wait. The Green Party TD was crouched like a runner at the starting blocks waiting for the off - on a proposal for a committee discussion about the Poolbeg peninsula scheme, a major issue in his Dublin South-East constituency.
He wanted a full Dáil debate. After all, "a smell emanates from the sewage plant, the Government incinerator is to go there and there is no public transport". Calling the facility a Government incinerator was pointedly aimed at his constituency rival, the Tánaiste.
Another local TD, Ruairí Quinn, pointed out that Dublin Bay "is the most populated bay on this island and it is proposed to site an incinerator in the middle of the area".
Michael McDowell agreed it was a major issue and could be discussed in the Dáil if the committee required. He had just started to speak about the proposal by "Dublin City Council to have an incinerator at Poolbeg" when Deputy Gormley jumped in: "It's Government policy." Deputy Quinn clarified that it was not a proposal from Dublin City Council but from the Dublin city manager.
Mr Quinn added pointedly: "The Dublin city manager works to the Government." "No, he does not," retorted the Tánaiste.
"It's Government policy," echoed Deputy Gormley, throwing his political dart.
Labour's Emmet Stagg threw in: "the Tánaiste shouldn't wriggle out of this". Mr McDowell said An Bord Pleanála would deal with the issue soon and that TDs would be there to "make the point that the area is the wrong place in which to build any such incinerator". "Wriggle, wriggle," said Deputy Stagg.
Then the hugely controversial Criminal Justice Bill gave Fine Gael its turn to have a go at the beleaguered Tánaiste. Enda Kenny contrasted his concern to have intensive discussion about the Poolbeg proposal with the speed with which he was rushing this legislation through, with 156 amendments to consider.
That was "less than two minutes per amendment", he said. The Minister's approach "smacks of the height of arrogance", said Enda.
Sinn Féin's Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, whose colleague Aengus Ó Snodaigh proposed 88 of the amendments, said that "the protection of innocent citizens" was at stake. The Minister said it was innocent citizens he was protecting. In the end they got through 36. Labour's Brendan Howlin said it was unacceptable to pass a Bill after getting through just 11 out of 51 sections. "What other cock-ups will we have that nobody has seen yet?" asked Socialist Joe Higgins.
The Tánaiste, at this stage quite irritated, dismissed Deputy Higgins with: "you participated in no way in this event, so you should get back in your box".
Deputy Higgins said he had participated in the early debate and added: "the Tánaiste is oozing arrogance from every pore of his privileged body".
That privileged body will be back next week to deal with at least a few more amendments to the Bill.