DrapierAn insiders guide to politics: History was made quietly in the Dáil this week. Deputies from all sides buried the corpse of the institutional Catholic Church in Ireland.
The bishops, who successfully used the "Mother and Child" scheme to bring down a government in the past, have themselves been brought down by their response to child abuse by their own priests. Drapier was impressed more by the contributions of cautious FG and FF deputies than the opportunistic comments of Liz O'Donnell. After all, the PDs are still in office and she supports the Government.
Drapier was reminded of Ruairí Quinn's description, 10 years ago, "that Ireland is now a post-Catholic country".
Ferns is but the start of a series of inquiries whose complete revelations will be stomach-churning.
A few bishops stand out - the two Walshes and Archbishop Martin - and have responded well. The question now is, have they the courage to lead the rest of their colleagues to where the Dáil was pointing? The bishops must now surrender, unconditionally to the State, their control of the primary school system.
If they don't do this now, with honour, then, in time it will be taken from them, in disgrace.
Canon law, in the contributions of many deputies who described themselves as Catholics, is now considered to be on a par with the rules of the GAA or the local golf club. Clerically educated deputies, like John Maloney (FF) or Brendan Howlin (Lab), asserted the primacy of State law over Canon law. Fiona O'Malley (PD), like her father before her, "stood by the Republic". Archbishop John Charles McQuaid must be turning in his grave.
• • • •
Have the national handlers lost their touch? The announcement of Transport 21 was a PR disaster, which has further undermined the credibility of this Government and, by extension, all politicians.
The public may have a short attention span for the spin of politics, but they do have a long memory. They still remember the solemn promise, made in 2002, by the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, minister for finance Charlie McCreevy and the minister for health Micheál Martin to abolish hospital waiting lists within two years. The flimsy, unsubstantiated Transport 21 launch documentation has embarrassed some of Drapier's close Fianna Fáil friends. The Members' Bar is a congenial confessional, where much is heard and little reported - yet the mood is clear.
The Soldiers of Destiny know they are in trouble and look now to Brian Cowen's budget next month to reverse the trend. Few of them will be using promises of metros, Atlantic corridors, or the Western Rail corridor on their election literature.
The reliance on the size of the spend, rather than the time of delivery, reminds Drapier of the conman's sales pitch - "never mind the quality, feel the width".
• • • •
Enda Kenny continues to get better at Leaders' Questions because of the good material he is receiving and the way he is using it in the Dáil. Fine Gael were the first to identify "Rip-Off Ireland" as a public issue. He played it well again this week.
For once unprepared, the Taoiseach made a fool of himself, stating that the Government's massive increase in health spending was probably a contributory factor in the "rip-off" of people with disabilities who have to purchase specialist equipment such as wheelchairs.
There seems to be some confusion in Government circles. Fine Gael deputies clamoured that Fianna Fáil did not know the difference between the volume of money and value for money.
• • • •
The Taoiseach revealed his decision-making paralysis when he admitted that the Government could not introduce an effective childcare policy because there were conflicting views among the social partners. Instead, the Government has increased child benefit and helped to fund additional creche facilities. The details of the survey in the Irish Examiner reinforced the political feedback from the two byelections last spring on this issue. But the message is now clear. Childcare is top of the political shopping list.
• • • •
It is now official. The EU constitutional treaty is dead. It will not be ratified by all 25 member states because, as the Taoiseach told Trevor Sargent and Enda Kenny, the French and the Dutch will not put the same question again to their electorates.
The Austrians will give us a report in June 2006 outlining the way forward, but it is all a far cry from the high point of the Irish presidency in June 2004.
• • • •
Labour's Pat Rabbitte highlighted the continuing exploitation by some Irish employers of vulnerable workers when he raised the plight of the 13 Latvian periwinkle pickers taken by lifeboat from an island off the coast of Skerries. Details of this outrage are scarce, but the trend is confirmed. Unless the Taoiseach acts, rather than merely talks, then a new pay deal is not on.
Failure to get a new social partnership deal, combined with the flush of monies from the SSIAs early next year, have put all parties on an election footing for a general election in May 2006.
• • • •
Drapier wonders what all the fuss is over the quality of the doctorate which the Government Chief Scientific Adviser, Dr Barry Sweeney, obtained by whatever means from US university Pacific Western. At least he was clear about his academic achievements, unlike our Taoiseach Bertie Ahern who was not.