Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick County, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

For today's vote on the Ceann Comhairle to be warranted, one would have imagined that she would have done something wrong last week. I was sitting in this seat, close to the Ceann Comhairle - the only other person in front was the Taoiseach - so I had the benefit of hearing the Chief Whip, the Taoiseach in his efforts to try to be heard and the Ceann Comhairle throughout all of it. The only people who could not hear what the Ceann Comhairle was saying were the people who were roaring and shouting at her in a scene that resembled something in Harcourt Street at 3 o'clock or 4 o'clock in the morning. Fair play to you, lads. She was right. You were an absolute, total and utter disgrace - grown men for the most part, roaring and shouting at a constitutional officer.

Of course, they never wanted her so, it is no surprise that they tabled a motion of no confidence in her. This is playing out the election right from the start. We had all of the difficulties after the election trying to form a Government. Some people wanted in, some people did not really want to be in and some people felt being in opposition was the most comfortable place they could find. Then we had the Leader of the Opposition saying that this was going to be opposition on all fronts right from the get-go.

The people who most disappoint in this are the Labour Party.

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