Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

A Government's majority is a mandate to govern, but it is not a mandate to dilute and make less effective the long-established principles and rules of how this House operates, the very basis for our democratic exchange functions. The Government is held to account by the Opposition. That accountability must be honest, rigorous and searching. It will work only if it is independent of the Government. This week, the Dáil is undermining that absolute principle, not for policy but for patronage, not for principle but for the parish pump. As our country faces into worsening economic and political crises, our Taoiseach is performing political acrobatics to keep these deals alive. I would expect the office of Ceann Comhairle to uphold the defence of that principle of democratic exchange with vigour. Undoubtedly, the actions of this Government have placed the Ceann Comhairle in an invidious position, but last week the Ceann Comhairle did not uphold those principles in the even-handed way the Opposition expects.

I therefore say with real regret that I cannot vote confidence in the Ceann Comhairle today. I say that knowing the vote will pass. I hope there is a way forward to rebuild trust in this House. That will not happen, however, if this Government continues to try to reshape the rules of this House, to decrease speaking time and to undermine the crucial role of the Opposition.

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