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Soc Dems and SF call on Tóibín to ditch Independent's group but Aontú calls demand 'ludicrous'

The Social Democrats deputy leader Cian O’Callaghan says Tóibín’s inaction is facilitating a situation where Independents supporting government can get Opposition speaking time.

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AONTÚ PARTY LEADER Peadar Tóibín has defended his position of remaining a member of the Regional Independents Group, which has found itself embroiled in controversy in recent days. 

“It is ludicrous for any party to demand that Aontú give up our speaking rights without offering to share their speaking rights with us,” Tóibín said in a statement to The Journal.

The matter stems from a row over speaking time in the Dáil. The issue emerged with the Regional Independents, who participated in government formation talks, now seeking to be considered members of the Opposition so as to garner speaking time in the Dáil. 

While Micheál Martin said yesterday he didn’t believe the public were over exercised about the issue, Sinn Féin and Labour certainly are, and have sought legal advice on the matter. 

Both parties argue that the Regional Independents who do not hold a government role cannot be considered members of the Opposition as they were involved in, and agreed to, the programme for government, which has resulted in some of their colleagues becoming junior ministers.

In a draft letter to Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy, the Labour Party said Independent TDs cannot run with the hare and hunt with the hound.

Joining forces

A technical group must have five or more TDs to qualify for Dáil speaking rights.

The only members of the Regional Independents Group who did not participate in government formation talks are Aontú’s two TDs Tóibín and Paul Lawless and Independent TD Carol Nolan. 

The members of the group involved in the talks were: Seán Canney, Noel Grealish, Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran, Marian Harkin, Michael Lowry, Barry Heneghan, Gillian Toole and Danny and Michael Healy-Rae. 

Lowry, Heneghan, Toole and Danny Healy-Rae, who have not got government positions, are now seeking to remain on the Opposition benches alongside Aontú and Nolan.

Sinn Féin has now taken aim at their former party member, Tóibín, with Sinn Féin TD for Meath West, Johnny Guirke stating that his constituency colleague is “propping up” the deal between Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the “so-called Independents”.

Aside from Lowry and the other Regional Independents, Guirke states that Tóibín should instead be exploring “other options” and groupings, who have not “pledged unflinching support for the incoming government”. 

Re-elected Independent TD Paul Gogarty, for example, is in a speaking group with members of Independent Ireland and their four TDs, while People Before Profit/Solidarity’s three TDs are in a speaking group with left-wing Independents such as Catherine Connolly and Green Party leader Roderic O’Gorman. 

Speaking to The Journal today, Tóibín did not confirm if he had approached the other groupings, such as Independent Ireland, which is made up of TDs Michael Collins,  Richard O’Donoghue and Michael Fitzmaurice. 

“The reality is that there are other options for the two TDs of Aontú to form a technical group with Independents and smaller parties who are genuine members of the opposition,” said Guirke. 

However, in a statement to The Journal, Tóibín said he will not have any party demand that Aontú give up our speaking rights. 

“Aontú is completely opposed to this government. Indeed, we ruled out government formation negotiations with these parties from before the election, and we lived up to that commitment after the election,” states Tóibín. 

‘You have to beg, borrow and steal’ 

Explaining his party’s rationale, he said:

“Currently if you are not in a technical group, you have little or no speaking rights. You have to beg, borrow, and steal one minute here and two minutes there to speak.

“You have no Leaders’ Questions. You have to enter a lottery to question Ministers. You have no Committee membership in order to hold Ministers to account.

“Sinn Féín should remember this well, as they were in a similar situation when Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin was their Dáil leader. Unfortunately, they seem to have lost their Standing Order reform zeal since those days.”

He went on to state that Aontú has always called for the Standing Orders of the Dáil to be reformed to allow for each TD to be able to speak in the Dáil on an equal basis.

Tóibín’s statement goes on to compare and contrast the number of contributions he and Guirke have given, before concluding:

“If anyone thinks Aontú will give up our democratic right to hold this government to account, they are very wrong. If anyone thinks that that Aontú is going to give up our hard fought right to represent our constituents in the Dáil, they are very wrong.

“It is ludicrous for any party to demand that Aontú give up our speaking rights without offering to share their speaking rights with us.”

Social Democrats acting leader Cian O’Callaghan has also rounded on the Aontú leader stating by leaving the Regional Independents technical group, the numbers would fall below the threshold for speaking rights, however Tóibín disagrees. 

O’Callaghan said today that Tóibín is ordinarily highly critical of actions like this in politics and claims to be committed to accountability.

“Yet, his inaction is facilitating a situation in which de-facto government backbench TDs are masquerading as members of the Opposition,” said O’Callaghan. 

Tóibín said in his statement this afternoon that Sinn Féin, Labour, Independent Ireland and the Social Dems all left the door open to government with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. 

The Journal also reached out to Independent TD Carol Nolan for her position, but she did not respond by the time of publication. 

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