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AS PEOPLE BEFORE PROFIT TD Bríd Smith ends her time in the Dáil, she has, for good measure, had one final heated exchange with Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin.
Last summer, Smith announced she would not be contesting the next general election, with councillor Hazel de Nortúin set to run in her place.
With the election due to be called on Friday, today will be the last day in the Dáil for all outgoing TDs.
The Tánaiste and Smith have had many fiery exchanges over the course of Smith’s time in the Dáil.
Today, the Dublin South-Central TD began her speaking time during Leaders’ Questions by thanking the staff and her colleagues in Leinster House, before adding that she is “looking forward to not banging my head off a wall”.
“I have done it for the past nine years and have had enough of it. Hazel can bang her head off the wall when she comes in here,” she said.
Smith then made an appeal to other opposition parties to stop “propping up” Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.
“I want to focus today on how we end 100 years of Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.
“When I was born in 1957, de Valera was in power, and before that, it had been Fianna Fáil or Fine Gael since the State was founded. We still have Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, although they have shrunk so much they have had to join forces,” Smith said.
“To be honest, they have always preferred the interests of big business, developers, bankers and the rich in this country and that is why, as we live in one of the wealthiest countries on the planet, we have one of the greatest levels of inequality.”
Pointing to the housing crisis, the waiting list for children with scoliosis, and the government’s failure to pass the Occupied Territories Bill, Smith asked Tánaiste Micheál Martin when the government will “stop making false promises to the Irish public and breaking them once it gets into power”.
In response, the Tánaiste said he is “acutely aware” of the issues facing the government and the country but that Smith and her “hard-left colleagues, along with Sinn Féin” are “peddling” a narrative that Ireland is a “failed state”.
“That is a pernicious, insidious lie,” the Tánaiste said.
“The truth is that we have come from being one of the of the most poverty stricken countries in the 1920s to now having one of the highest standards of living in the world, with more people in employment than ever before,” he said.
“It is wrong that Deputy Smith does not at least have the good grace to acknowledge the extraordinary progress the country has made, notwithstanding the challenges that we have.”
Smith then pointed to health waiting lists, the record number of homelessness in the State and the 140,000 long housing list.
“We can throw figures across the floor at each other but these are facts that the Tánaiste does not address. As a left-wing TD and a socialist, I came in here to try to address them, and that is why I talked about the headbanging exercise. The government is not interested in ending inequality in this country,” Smith said.
She then called on the Tánaiste to tackle extreme poverty and inequality by taxing the wealth of the rich.
“Take the money off them and stop being their favourite guys in the Dáil.
“Be the favourite guys of the ordinary people.”
The Tánaiste then responded: “I am the son of a busman.”
“So am I. I am the daughter of a busman,” Smith shot back.
Tánaiste: “I came from a working-class community.”
Smith: “So what?”
Tánaiste: “I did not interrupt the Deputy. I will tell her “So what?”
The Ceann Comhairle then interjected to call for order.
Tánaiste: “I am the son of a busman who was a founding member of the NBRU.”
Smith: “So was my Da.”
Tánaiste: “I am the first to get to second level education in our family and we were the first generation to get to third level.”
Smith: “I was the first to do the leaving certificate in my family.”
Tánaiste: “I do not need lectures from the far-left, and many from the far-left who were educated in far more luxurious schools than I was ever educated in.”
Smith responded to this by saying the Tánaiste can “talk all you like about your childhood but you have not addressed the inequality.”
The Tánaiste then said he is the “product of the Fianna Fáil-Donogh O’Malley revolution of free education”, to which Smith said: “God help us”.
The Tánaiste said it was here that his passion for education came from and that this is what drove him to enter politics.
“The Deputy does not have a monopoly on care or compassion on her side of the House,” he said, before accusing Smith of failing to understand the “Irish economic model that has created enterprise and the opportunity for people to grow and develop in this country.”
Martin said this is what the pair should be debating.
Smith finished by responding: “Not the inequality. Do not debate the inequality.”
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“But it’s totally normal to have wildfires in January” said every Facebook expert.
@Jacintha Dumbrell: Why are you having hissy fits on here about facebook posts that “trigger” you? I’d say something if the wildfires were happening here in Ireland, but they’re not. Happening the other side of the world. Get a grip clown.
@Marvin Dollery: the only one I see having a hissy fit is you. Truth hurts I suppose…
@Marvin Dollery: Absolute state of this. The standard of conversation in the comments section has become significantly worse since your account appeared.
@Jason Memail: he’s outraged at everything and takes this comment section way too seriously, which I suppose you do if you live in social media bubbles all day.
@Jacintha Dumbrell: You think Facebook experts are bad now, wait til the crappy guardrails come off in a few weeks! But don’t worry, Zuck is doing it to save the world. With a bit of software. And 50% of it is minion memes.
@Jason Memail: So because you dislike what I have to say, you think my account should be removed? Isn’t that the very principle ye leftists proclaim to defend? Seems ye have gone full circle. Nice attempt at “white knighting”. Dumbrell is far from a damzel in distress.
@Jacintha Dumbrell: Here a chart of Global Temperatures and CO2 Levels last 2000 years:
https://imgur.com/gallery/global-temperature-co2-levels-last-2000-years-5ioVzFY
We have a problem. And temperatures for the last 65 million years:
Current global temperatures are warmest in c. 125,000 years, CO2 levels are highest in c. 15 million years and they continue to rise rapidly.
And here’s a study showing forest fires (intensity) are the worst in 10,000 years:
Kelly, R., Chipman, M.L., Higuera, P.E., Stefanova, I., Brubaker, L.B. and Hu, F.S., 2013. Recent burning of boreal forests exceeds fire regime limits of the past 10,000 years. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 110(32), pp.13055-13060.
@Marvin Dollery: master of deduction yet again. Jason never mentioned that your account should be removed and how do you know he is a “leftist”. He only makes the (IMO correct) observation that the standard of your comments is deplorable.
@Name: At least I use my name. And by the way, it’s only your opinion. Everyone has one.
@Jacintha Dumbrell: Don’t read Facebook, read science based fact. Here’s a fact. In the area burning today there is vegetation which drops seeds in pods that can only open when exposed to…fire. Yes, climate change can alter local conditions which can make wildfires more likely, but in this particular instance damage is man-made only in the sense that man chose to build homes in areas where fires are not only likely but are essential to the lifecycle of local flora. High time the planning authorities took some responsibility for what’s occurring rather than point the finger at people who have the audacity to own a car or want to heat their homes.
@Ronan Mc: In fairness, libel action against defamation or slander should be taken by the courts. Not by some meta subsidiary. Everyone active on platforms should know how to properly sue someone. Including the journal comment section which is a goldmine.
@Name: He or she is not outraged about anything. He or she is desperate for attention, good or bad. Mute them.
@Ollie McGlinchey: A tolerant little lefty weirdo aren’t you Glinchy. Mute anyone you disagree with incase it hurts precious folks feelings. Grow up.
After the last fires Trump recommended that fire breaks between areas need to be implanted but got no support by the ever negative media, maybe he can get things moving when he gets back.
@thomas molloy: taking advice from trump on forrest management is like taking advice from bertie ahern on bank accounts…….both havent a clue
@Tom Newell: what is a forrest? Do you mean forest?
@Tom Newell: He also said that they should sweep the forest floors. Fire breaks would not have made an ounce of difference in 75 mph winds!
@thomas molloy: State of California is preparing to sue Trump for inaction and denial of global warming, causing wide spread destruction.
@thomas molloy: except he never said that at all. He never mentioned “fire breaks”. He did talk about how the forestry service looked after the wilderness there and used the example of Finland “raking their forests” to prevent forest fires. Much to the amusement of Finns who do not rake their forests. Do you honestly think that Trump knows what a fire break is or how they work? As it happens fire breaks would not have done anything to prevent these current fires all of which started in brush in residential areas. The wind is driving them and embers from early fires are travelling through their via wind and causing fires elsewhere. They are crossing the many roads and highways in the hills. Not a lot could be done to prevent these fires sadly
@thomas molloy: impossible. Embers can travel several kilometres airborne. Fires can also start spontaneously in 0-10% humidity. Trump knows as much about managing forests as he does about every other topic. Virtually nil. May the Divils spawnings drag him to Hades and burn the Cheryl Cole off of him.
There’s an ad for a firewood in Northern Ireland placed in this article.
Very tactful. Lol.
@Fergus O’Donnell: lol. You really are hilarious.
looks like Gaza
@eoin fitzpatrick: There are definitely more Jews in Hollywood than in Gaza.
@eoin fitzpatrick: except they are not being starved to death and drones arent shooting wounded kids on the ground.
They should ask the Australians for help on how to put the fires out
Terrible news, but the thing dominating my head right now is the song Open Up by Leftfield.
@David Guiney: indeed, and what a brilliant track! Leftfield and Lydon – what a combo
California should sue Trump for inaction on, even causing, global warming.
No sympathy for them.
@DAN TEDSON: how sad it must be to be you.
@lastfewchocices: on the contrary, enjoying this karma immensely. Burn Hollywood, burn.
@DAN TEDSON: karma for what?
@DAN TEDSON: PE
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