Paul McAuliffe (Dublin North-West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

At some point, the truth about the past number of weeks in this House will be written and it will show that from January onwards it became increasingly likely that a number of Independent TDs might support a coalition government. What many of us did not realise was that our own Standing Orders made no provision for such a grouping. In fact, they were entirely silent on the rights of TDs or parties that support the Executive. This should not have been a problem for the Government or the affected Independents alone; it was a challenge for us as an Oireachtas to resolve because in politics you often find yourself on the other side of the argument. However, instead of addressing the problem, the Opposition chose pantomime. It knew full well that there was no other mechanism for the technical group to be recognised, yet it shouted and screamed the slogan, "You can’t be in government and opposition". It was a slogan, not a solution, and it quickly became untrue. The Chair ruled clearly that the group of six Independents do not qualify as opposition under Standing Order 170. The Government accepted that ruling and proposed new arrangements for Government time. We engaged in more than 20 hours of discussion, including full mediation but instead of seriously engaging, the Opposition spent more time on the plinth than around the table.

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