Micheál Martin (Cork South-Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Over the past 106 years, the Standing Orders and structures of daily business of Dáil Éireann have changed regularly and often quite radically. There has never been a requirement for all parties to agree a change before it can be implemented. There has never before been a debate as long and as disruptive as there has been on these changes - changes that will mean the Irish Opposition will retain a greater share of speaking time and more opportunities to question the Government than any other Opposition in Europe. No rights are being infringed. The opening of every day will continue to be dominated by questions from the Opposition, and the Opposition will continue to have a share of speaking time well beyond what is proportionate to its mandate.

Yet, we continue to hear escalating and hysterical claims about democracy being undermined. The people who come in here to shout at and intimidate others believe they can lecture us about democracy. The cynicism of this was shown by no fewer than three Sinn Féin sources who confirmed to a journalist in recent days that they would step back from continuing with a programme of rolling disruption of the Dáil because "they believe the damage to the coalition has been done".

The Opposition's true motivation has never been about opposing giving Deputies who support the Government a slightly improved chance to be heard. It is part of their strategy to destroy the ability of others to form a stable Government and implement its agenda in Parliament. Further proof of this can be found in the fact that the largest party in opposition is being quite open about its strategy. Before the Dáil met, journalists were told that Sinn Féin intended to be more aggressive in this Dáil. There would be less trying to look like an alternative government and a much greater focus on total opposition.

Sinn Féin's strategy of regularly collapsing the democratically elected Assembly in Northern Ireland is one it feels has worked and has helped it to overtake other parties there. The assumption was that the party would be able to get the media to accept its framing of everything always being the fault of others. Sinn Féin believes that the dominance of briefings in Leinster House on news coverage would enable it to avoid having to answer any questions. That is why its Minister for enterprise in Belfast resigned and came down to oversee operations in Leinster House. The impact of the new strategy-----

See this speech in context