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SINN FÉIN’S finance spokesman Pearse Doherty has been suspended from the Dáil after refusing to obey the orders of the Ceann Comhairle, Seán Barrett.
The dispute arose during this morning’s discussion on the Dáil order of business, when Doherty made comments about the appointment of the new Secretary-General in the Department of Finance, John Moran.
Doherty had queried whether new “fitness and probity legislation”, which was being brought forward to deal with banking appointments, would contain clauses that allowed for scrutiny of civil service appointments as well.
Doherty was ruled out of order after commenting that Moran had previously served as the chief executive officer of Zurich Capital Markets, which which was later censured by the Securities and Exchanges Commission in the United States in 2007.
“When are we going to get a chance to scrutinise the most senior public appointments?”, Doherty had asked, prompting Barrett to comment that the Donegal South-West TD was “abusing the situation of the Dáil”.
“We don’t do character assassinations in this chamber,” the Ceann Comhairle added.
Doherty refused to keep his silence, however, prompting Barrett to ‘name’ him and force a vote on his suspension.
The vote was carried by 80 votes to 36, with Fine Gael and Labour backing his suspension, and Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin and the other party and independent TDs opposing it.
Doherty’s suspension means he cannot, as planned, introduce legislation which would bring NAMA under the remit of the Freedom of Information Act. That legislation had been due for introduction to the Dáil this morning.
Doherty is the sixth TD to have been suspended from the 31st Dáil since its first sitting 365 days ago.
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Open transparant government my ass … Jobs for the party faithful. Doherty was right to make a stand on this … just looking forward to the arguments from FFG/Labour supporters on this one ….. Bloody financial terrorism is alive and well in the state.
Doherty is right that senior civil servants should be open to scrutiny before appointment. However the appointees should also have the opportunity to respond to any accusations. Doherty has accused this guy of a conflict of interest but there’s no way for him to respond to the allegation.
The Dail is a joke, an elected member stands up and asks a question and because FG/L don’t like it they get him suspended. Surely he should be allowed to ask a decent and straight forward question which this was?
Hear hear! After the fiasco of the 3.6 billion accounting error it is all the more pertinent a question, yet predictably, met with all the resistance the status quo can muster. Respect to Doherty, he has no need to apologise.
why cant the public know how good their servants are at their jobs?
Because we have no Form of political transparency. There was a group of people that tried to change that but due to “Union” mandate, political Propaganda and the lining of pockets they were evicted this morning.
could you imagine the amount of them we would have to throw out if we knew that?
Different sections of Irish society have different rights. For example when a private company operating the NCT found out that some inspectors were taking bribes, they were fired. But when a civil servant in the Department of Social Welfare was caught passing confidential information to a third party nothing happened. Other sectors of society are exempt from paying taxes (very rich non residents) or going to jail (senior bankers, politicians etc) So revolting peasant as I presume you are “just” an ordinary citizen Im sorry to have to say but you have no rights and certainly no right to question those higher up like senior civil servants. If you find anything above is unfair and you would like to appeal it, please submit your complaint in writing and it will be dismissed in due course.
@Glyn, i find it all perfectly fair as this is a democracy (looool) and this is what we vote for, as long as the majority prefer these double standards, and enjoy being persistently laughed at and lied too, i will either tolerate it or leave, it is impossible to make the ‘loyalty’ voters in ireland see how ridiculous and dangerous their loyalty is
@RP I fear you are correct :(
I think Sean Barrett will go down in history as the most biased Ceann Comhairle An Dáil has ever seen.
Without doubt.
So Pearse Doherty goes to work in the Dáil, asks a question and gets suspended because FG/LAB don’t like the question he asks. Maybe Pearse shouldn’t do his job to the best of his ability like most of the others and he wouldn’t get suspended. A bloody joke!
the Ceann Comhairle being appointed by the government has to be the stupidest part of the system, it reminds me of man utd and howard webb, lets pick our own ref
Especially this guy, he’s got to be the most biased in the history of the Dail. Maybe if he spent some time reading up on the independence he’s supposed to show and less time trying to enforce dress codes he’d do a better job.
The government must’ve had an awful job getting all the lads out of the Dail bar to boot him out!
I’m actually surprised to see so many there! From any/all the groups.
This sort of thing exposes liberal parliamentary democracy under the rule of the markets for the fig-leaf it is.
If all the opposition TD’s would turn up every day they could overturn these decisions.
51 people absent, most of them opposition?? Who are they representing at home??
Some would be at committee hearings etc?
@ Daire, I guess the 29 or so TD’s missing from government side of the chamber were still making their way back from the cancelled photo op. Well at least the FG TD’s.
FFS. It’s laudable when TDs do it, but we bring out the hate when ordinary people do it for Occupy Dame Street; and yet both groups accomplish exactly the same thing at the end of the day.
And we wonder why we’re in the mess we’re in…
Free speech in the Dail is a must for democracy.!
When can he return to the chamber?
Standing Order 62:
So, today if he apologises or tomorrow if he doesn’t?
Spot on. He’s back automatically for the next day’s sitting (on his first offence – if he’s a repeat offender, the suspension becomes longer) but he can return straight away if he presents an apology.
Can (unfortunately) see Doherty becoming a repeat offender. Only one (in my opinion) that talks sense in the Opposition
At this stage we need a revolution #irishrevolution
here here
im ready
Well thats three of you, now what?
Sluazcanal – there was only 3 musketeers!!
Can I come guys?
Fada beo an réabhlóid ;)
#SeachtainNaGaeilge
We can appoint who we like and the FG/L Reich will be right! Silence the opposition, the only effective opposition in the Dail, and FG/L/FF cozy consensus for cuts will move on with their big love in! But its not working quite like that is it Enda!! Fair play to Pearse and Sinn Fein, at last we are getting to see the real Dail, that has been taking the reel out off the Irish people for decades!
Enda said: ‘Paddy likes to know the story’. Maybe if Pearse changed his name to Paddy ….. !
Doherty had the chance to deliver today ie to bring forward his NAMA/FOI legislation. Instead he went on a rant that he wasnt prepared for and now he’s out the door. Typical poor politics from SF. He was elected knowing what the standing orders of the dail were and if he’s going to be a succesful politican as opposed to being a life long shouter and ranter like joe higgins then he’s want to get on with the job and stop getting suspended.
For those that say this is FG/Labour controling questions – look at SF in the north, they use the exact same type of mechanisms to ensure that the govt control the northern parliaments agenda. If they can use it up there then the irish govt can use it down here.
What crap. FG/Lab voted to kick him out for absolutely nothing. Barrett is not an impartial Ceann Comhairle. Doherty would have introduced the legislation if Barrett didn’t throw a strop over nothing.
Worst Ceann Comhairle ever!! (along with Junket Johnny :-) )
Liam.
It is obvious that you haven’t heard the debate.
If people like Doherty do not challenge the Govt. when it comes to appointing cronies and party pals, then where are we going.
The Govt. Rep. should have been able to defend and counter the argument if he felt he could. Closing down a line of questioning about the suitability of a candidate for the most important C.S. role in Ireland is not a good way to go.
Why should he conform to a bent and ineffectual system in Leinster house.
It’s a long standing Dail tradition that Ceann Comhairles throw a fit when the Government of the day is questioned about it’s appointment of election agents, party advisors and general factotums to the civil service, state boards or the judiciary.
Another example of FG democracy.
Leo giving the people a vote is in democratic and now asking a question the reich don’t like, a man elected by the people of this country gets kicked out of parliament.
A certain mr Hitler would approve
Doherty should have a look at the past records of some of his colleagues in sinn fein , he has some neck . I’m verry dissapointed to see fianna fail backing him, ” my enemy’s enemy, is my friend ” choose ur friends carefully michael!!!!!!!!!!
And FF are whiter than white? You stay stuck in the past there Gerry and don’t worry about the here and now why don’t you. If Doherty didn’t stand up and take the Government to account you’d be bitching about that also. Remember he forced the FF Government to hold a by election that FF unreasonably delayed so this isn’t the first time that he has shown up a Government for not doing his job properly. I mightn’t like SF’s policies but at least this guy is doing something for his electorate.
Gerry,
Fianna Fail are looking for a friend! to play in the yard/dail with! Doesn’t matter who they befriend!
Gerry. 1875 is calling, your afternoon tea is getting cold.
As for Michael Micky Mouse Martin chosing his friends. Most of his own party TD’s think that he is a waste of space but they know that if they get rid of him that they will fall apart in infighting and look completely irrelevant. They would have to replace them with the affable and good talking McGrath but who cannot read speech if it is not on autocue.
Micky Mouse Martin and his gang buddies are a distraction to Irish political reform and a continuing threat to the financial security and welfare of this country.
if only that could get rid of the rest of Sinn Fein IRA too
If only you could come up with a decent argument.
I think it is in more of our interest to get rid of FG. The least successful political party of its size in the Western world, a party that set records for economic collapse in the 80′s and mismanagement in the 70′s. Only exceeded, by a big margin no doubt, by FF. Who have set several global records for economic collapse.
A KG of shite (FF) V’s a pound of Shite (FG). Still shite.
Mark, can i ask you… Are you one of these FG’s that really believed that the Queens visit here was going to increase tourism??? It didnt happen, but you arent spouting about SF/IRA now :P Welcome to the 21st century Ireland. SF are the only party in the Dail asking pertinent questions, but unfortunately FFG/Labour are doing their best to suppress these issues being raised. Democracy ansd the Irish people are the big losers, while prople like yourself keep harping back to the last century. We all know what FG and Hitler had in common in the last century, so how about we agree to drop historical comparisons and deal with the here and now!!!!!!!!!!!
Cal do you have figures to back up your assertion that the Queen of England’s visit failed to boost tourism? No, because last year’s figures showed a 7% increase in overseas visitors, and the visit took place when a substantial part of the year had already passed.
Mark don’t assume that all sinn fein members support the IRA.
Ultan, Niall Givens from Tourism Ireland was on Matt Cooper 4 days ago. He stated on air that tourism from Britain to Ireland is now down to the same level it was in 1996. Alas, it appears that the Queen’s tourist bonanza have not arrived after all. 1996 levels….. seems to suggest that the IRA bombing of Canary Wharf was as big a draw for British tourists as the Queen’s trip…….
If Doherty followed the rules and kept his cool, he could have still got his point across. People like him that are SUPPOSEDLY representing the people that voted him in (I am certainly not one of them) should read the rules of the Dail and think about how they got there in the first place.
I agree with all here on this topic , the Ceann Comhairle is a little Hitler. There should be an ‘Independent’ sitting in that chair. The gang that are in office shouldn’t be allowed vote for one of their own to sit in that chair.
So essentially he should not have spoken out against this? He should have kept his mouth shut? That would be representing the people who voted for him? Interesting.
LOL!
the only man that talks since
God help us all if Pearse Doherty ever became Taoiseach. Notice how he refuses to take his seat after repeated requests from the Ceann Chomhairle. Then, when the Ceann Chomhairle tells him to leave the chamber, Pearse Doherty replies that he’s taking his seat before asserting that he’s obeying the Ceann Chomhairle’s request, that is, Ceann Chomhairle’s previous request to sit down that Pearse Doherty refused to obey. Sinn Fein are a bunch of chancers. KEEP THEM OUT IN 2016.
Go away fool.
Whether he was right or not, he shouldn’t argue with the boss! :P
@ Paul,
Don’t worry, there isn’t a chance in hell they’ll get any further! People voted in temper, stupidity and lack of thought when Sin Fein got the seats they have.
Dermot,
Paul and everyone else is entitled to an opinion. That’s what this page is for.
Sheilam, you are running a business (and i wont name it, because even i know not to be so ignorant), and i guess you need income from the public… and you dare and call people who vote SF stupid…. Seriously, i dont hold much hope for the future of your bsiness, if you are going to call 25% of the population stupid … What are you going to alienate the other 75%. Seriously, keep those sort of opinions to yourself, and dont go advertise////
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