A motion of no confidence in Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy will be debated in the Dáil next Tuesday after a second day of rancour over the bitter row about speaking rights.
The matter dominated Leaders’ Questions as Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald claimed the Ceann Comhairle “bulldozed” through the rules to get the Government’s speaking rights plan over the line.
She was the first of the three opposition leaders to call on Ms Murphy to reflect on her position, which she described as “untenable”, telling her “you need to go”.
She spoke ahead of a formal motion of no confidence issue later in the day by five opposition party leaders.
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Ms McDonald’s comments were echoed by Labour leader Ivana Bacik who said “regrettably, in our view the position of the Ceann Comhairle is no longer tenable due to the Government’s insistence on placating the Lowry group”.
Acting Social Democrats leader Cian O’Callaghan also called on Ms Murphy to reflect on her position. He said she should represent all parties but that had not happened.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin insisted however that any motion would be resisted and “met by steel on this side of the House”.
He said Sinn Féin “will not run the House” and they were promoting a “destructive model” of opposition.
While Ms Murphy issued a statement later “categorically” rejecting “unfounded allegations” of partiality and collusion and insisting she intended to remain in her position, she did not comment in the Dáil on the matter.
The Government has confirmed it will table a counter motion of confidence in Ms Murphy.
The Taoiseach also accused the Opposition of employing “undemocratic” tactics in the Dáil.
In a statement on Wednesday evening he said: “It beggars belief that Sinn Fein in particular, who shouted and roared during Leaders Questions in a clearly organised manner, and who refused point blank to cooperate, are now accusing the Ceann Comhairle of bias and failing to follow procedures.
The Clerk of the Dáil has confirmed proceedings were conducted in accordance with procedures.
Sinn Féin later disputed the report by the Clerk of the Dáil, claiming its findings were “deeply flawed”.
The report by Peter Finnegan was published on Wednesday and concluded that Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy had acted in line with the Dáil’s standing orders when overseeing the business of the Dáil during the raucous and chaotic scenes in the Chamber on Tuesday.
In a response issued last night, Sinn Féin said the report did not tally with events in the Dáil on Tuesday.
The party claimed that such was the determination of Ms Murphy to push matters through that no vote was taken on the Order of Business even though a vote was clearly called.
The party also claimed that the Ceann Comhairle appeared to have “inadvertently moved the Opposition amendment to proposed rule change and not the motion put forward by the Government.”
Separately both the Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil parliamentary parties offered unanimous support to Ms Murphy at meetings on Wednesday night.
At the Fianna Fáíl meeting, some TDS and Senators criticised the “two-finger” gesture by Michael Lowry in the Chamber on Tuesday saying it was completely inappropriate. There was criticism too of what was described as the barracking of the opposition towards Ms Murphy.
Fine Gael deputy leader Helen McEntee told her party meeting that the Opposition had followed an orchestrated plan to shut down a democratically elected majority Government.
McEntee also said any motion of no confidence in the Ceann Comhairle would be countered with a Confidence motion from the Government.
Earlier in the Dáil, Ms McDonald accused the Taoiseach of taking a “sledgehammer” to the rules, assisted by the Ceann Comhairle. “The person responsible for safeguarding the Dáil’s democratic processes led the charge on behalf of the Government’s agenda.”
But Mr Martin said it was Ms McDonald who “tries to import into this Chamber the loud hailer politics of the street” and from “the very get-go” the Opposition “has made the Ceann Comhairle’s life impossible”.
Ms Bacik claimed the Government was ramming through a “contrived arrangement” for a “sham opposition”.
She said two fingers had been shown to the public. It was “deeply wrong” and “deeply disrespectful” of Independent TD Michael Lowry to give the two fingers and the Taoiseach should get him to apologise.
She also said Ms Murphy should reflect on her position and if not, her party had no option but to take a position of no confidence in her.
Mr Martin said anybody who used two fingers in the House to another TD was wrong and that Mr Lowry should apologise. But he said it was also wrong for TDs to be waving cameras in the faces of other deputies.
Mr O’Callaghan repeated calls for the Taoiseach to “come clean” on what deal he had done with Mr Lowry as the Government was “muddying the waters” by attempting to show the Independents as opposition.
But the Taoiseach rounded on him saying “you trot out a line” laced with “dark stuff” and “innuendo” about a deal “and that is smear stuff”. He insisted “my motivation is stable Government”, but the Opposition’s approach was “feigned outrage”.
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Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger said comments about misogyny were deeply cynical “coming from one of the most male-dominated” Governments in the world.
She added that Mr Lowry gave two fingers and then “gaslit the public that he hadn’t actually done it”.
