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LAST UPDATE | 31 Jan
THE ROW OVER speaking time for Michael Lowry and the Regional Independents will rumble into next week, with no deal reached today after a mammoth meeting.
The failure to reach an agreement today risks a repeat of the chaotic scenes seen in the Dáil last week.
The leaders of Sinn Féin, Labour, Independent Ireland, the Social Democrats and People Before Profit have written to Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Tánaiste Simon Harris this evening to say their proposal to end the row is “entirely unacceptable”.
An informal meeting of the Dáil’s reform committee was held today after a virtual meeting of the committee ended in stalemate last night.
Today’s meeting also ended without agreement, with Independent Ireland leader Michael Collins telling the media afterwards that the situation is now a “crisis”.
It is a crisis that we’re in… Deputy Lowry seems to have some severe power over this government.
— Jane Matthews (@janeematthews) January 31, 2025
“He can call whatever shots he wants, the way he wants.” - Independent Ireland leader Michael Collins tells the media.
@thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/jVClq2emYT
The opposition are now calling on Micheál Martin and Simon Harris to agree to meet with party leaders in an effort to reach an agreement before the Dáil returns on Wednesday.
Chair of the Dáil reform committee, Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy this afternoon attempted to mediate between the opposition side and the government and Michael Lowry, who himself is on the Dáil reform committee.
In a statement, Murphy said it is “regrettable that no consensus or agreement could be reached today”.
She said she is committed to “exhausting every possible avenue”.
The committee has agreed to reconvene on Tuesday, 4 February at midday.
Government chief whip Mary Butler has been leading the talks on the government’s side.
The government’s proposal, which has not been accepted by the opposition, would see Michael Lowry, Barry Heneghan, Gillian Toole and Danny Healy-Rae recognised as “an informal technical grouping of unaligned members” of the Dáil rather than opposition or government TDs.
The proposal also sets out that standing orders shall be amended to allocate additional time for Leaders’ Questions and Priority Questions for this group, adding that this measure will see no reduction in the allocation of time to any party or group.
“Totally unacceptable.”
— Jane Matthews (@janeematthews) January 31, 2025
Social Democrats acting leader Cian O’Callaghan has called on the Taoiseach and Tánaiste to “cut all ties” with Michael Lowry.
The SocDems are also of the view that it is time for the party leaders to get back around the table.
@thejournal_ie pic.twitter.com/ikXqoScbyU
Speaking in Cork earlier today, Taoiseach Micheál Martin said the issue is more “nuanced” and “complex” than people are suggesting. He said that he was hopeful an agreement would be reached by the committee today.
Speaking to media after the committee meeting ended today, Sinn Féin whip Pádraig Mac Lochlainn said it is “very clear that the government are determined that Michael Lowry will have Leaders’ Questions… and be treated like a member of the opposition.”
He continued: “Michael Lowry stood on this with seven independent TDs, four of them are now ministers, and he said, ‘We will support this government, on the good days and the bad’ and the government are now trying to tell us and the Irish people that actually he isn’t a government supporter, [that] he’s unaligned.”
He said it is “deeply frustrating” that progress now seems to be regressing.
“We’re actually going backwards. And for some reason, Micheál Martin and Simon Harris are standing by their man, standing by Michael Lowery in defiance of common sense and logic.”
Asked what will happen next week if an agreement is not reached, Mac Lochlainn said he hopes a solution is found before then.
“We’re not thinking at that point right now. But we rule nothing out. We can’t rule anything out. I mean, you have to respect the opposition,” he said.
Ahead of the meeting this morning, People Before Profit TD Paul Murphy warned that the opposition are willing to “protest robustly” next week if no agreement is reached.
The Dáil reform committee is meeting again today to try and end the row over speaking rights for the Regional Independents.
— Jane Matthews (@janeematthews) January 31, 2025
After no progress yesterday, Paul Murphy says if it is the same today then the opposition will have no choice but to “protest robustly” next week.
pic.twitter.com/gs05iXhBvV
Asked what this would involve, Murphy said there has not be a discussion yet but that the opposition remain united in their position.
Murphy said the proposal put forward by the government yesterday creates a “fudge” and is “not in tune” with what was provisionally agreed the week before.
Murphy said today that the proposal is a direct contradiction to what was agreed last week.
“To be clear from the opposition side, there is not some attempt to deny Michael Lowry and his group the right to speak. They absolutely should have the right to speak in the Dáil. We have said we’re willing to amend standing orders to say that they can be recognised as a technical group within government,” Murphy said.
In a statement this evening, a spokesperson for Government Chief Whip Mary Butler accused the opposition of holding the Dáil to ransom and said the government parties have entered negotiations in good faith.
The spokesperson said the government is “disappointed” that the opposition chose to dismiss the government’s proposal.
“Our Dáil must be able to function, and we cannot have a repeat of the scenes in the chamber last week, and no individuals should be able to hold the Dáil to ransom.
“The Government is focused on an orderly meeting of the Dáil next week, to address the aftermath of Storm Éowyn and the business that the public expect all of our elected representatives to do,” the spokesperson said.
The Journal has requested comment from Michael Lowry.
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thabk you Paul for fighting for us ordinary Irish people, we are forever in your debt
@qffaffaf affrafrfraf: Are shouting constant complaining rights under threat. ?
@qffaffaf affrafrfraf: The fact that this crook is still in the Dail, speaks volumes about of politicians and political system.
@Harry Paisley: do not respond to this man ..he’s been discovered on telegram. (Arbour hill)
When I was a kid my dad said anyone can become a T.D …now that I’m an adult I believe it … and it gives me nightmares
X fine gaels Michael lowry will decide who gets speaking rights
@Kevin O Brien: Tail wagging the dog..
@Kevin O Brien: Michael Lowry would have been a fantastic Taoiseach, the country missed out
@Kevin O Brien: He is no different from the rest of the shysters in Leinster House, except he was caught out!
Michael Lowry is the problem, the public haven’t forgotten his brown envelope antics and a leopard dosnt change its spots.
Lowry. Basically a modern day crook.
Ff and fg have made a big mistake.
@Hector turtlehead: No, they’re just carrying on tradition.
@Hector turtlehead: like they did with Eamon Ryan
Lowry brings me back to good time Charlie always pulling strokes. The opposition is right. These guys are in government and voting with government. They are not part of the opposition anymore. They picked their side.
They looked down their noses at people voting for the monk and this guy who a high court judge said took a bribe while he was a government minister is back in the fold.
I hope the lowser Lowry is happy now!! Too much leeway given to him!!
Sinn Fein have won. This government has been damaged. People like their TDs to be above reproach, an unattainable wish but that’s the way it is. Most TDs will get by on a wink and a nod but Michael Lowry in an apparent position of power is too much for people to take.
So he’s given up on saying his protests are peaceful then? Not that they ever were….
Do you think the Government is going to listen to the opposition now?
The Government has been formed on the 23/01/2025 and the time to continue to protest was on 23/01/2025. So this is just an exercise of throwing the toys out of the pram and looking for attention.
@Harry Paisley: SF came 2nd in the GE and did Mehole offer them an olive branch? No he ignored them and status quo remained.
@Tommy: the lefties could have formed their own government in last election 4 or 5 years ago. Sf, lb, pbp, sd, gp and they may have need a indo or 2.but they feared responsibly, their a highly paid group of professional moaners and complainers,especially murphy and rich boy Barrett
@Tommy: SF couldn’t get the numbers, so couldn’t form a government, it’s not like young lads picking teams on the soccer pitch lol
@Tommy: No one wants the IRA in power downhere go north my friend
@Tommy: It does not count who wins the most amount of seats. Who comes first or second in seat totals in PR elections.
What matters is have you enough to form a government.
@Tommy: The majority voted ABSF – anybody but SF. As regards your rear end why did it not offer an olive branch.
@Tommy: Shinners aren’t compatible with democracy
I thought I heard them say that the ‘standing orders’ that apply are those of the last Dail and that new standing orders can be brought in by this Dail. If they aren’t willing to change them after the furore on day 1 they deserve nothing more than absolute chaos when they meet again, the international embarrassment will be for the Coalition Government to live down because any normal person can see that a TD who negotiated a programme for Govt and publicly promised support through thick and thin cannot take a position in opposition, a Jack Russell terrier would understand that one.
The government should take note of what’s going on in the German parliament today. The tide is turning at last. This government funded paper won’t report on it or allow comments.
@Denis Murphy: How is the Journal government funded? Exactly how do they do that?
So if you think far right politics is the tide turning, you need to read what happened 80 years ago and look where it got the entire world!
@Denis Murphy: Government funded- lol. This is just a rag to let id10ts blow off steam.
@Gary Kearney: The government and various agencies do account for a significant amount of advertising revenue for most of the main Irish media outlets. It has been used to influence coverage.
Bang on on the far right, we don’t need that, don’t want that
These numpties are self-proclaimed ‘revolutionary socialists’, don’t make me laugh.
They and the rest of the Dáil are slaves to Brussels and the captured NGOs. Why anyone would want to hear a word out of any of their mouths is beyond me.
@Marjory: I can clearly sense your desire for a far-right dictatorship.
@Jacintha Dumbrell: her\his name is program
@Marjory:Can you tell me how that works!
@Marjory: yes p
@Marjory: Yes dear, just keep taking the medication
Paul Murphy is the most pro-authoritarian politician in the Dail. I would not be surprised if he supports Stalin, and other genocidal figures because of their socialist causes. He’s a dangerous man.
@Sam Walsh: LOL.
He doesn’t even know the gender of his own kid lol
@Jon Balfour: Says the troll who was a woman yesterday, “Mary Linton”.
A simple solution would be to ask them to leave the Dáil if they protest like that again. If they refuse then arrest them and lock them up!
@common sense: for what,its there job in opposition,,,tool
@common sense: They can filibuster ’til the cows come home. Won’t be a tap done in the legislature until this affront to the house (and by extension the people) is resolved. Guards can’t help you
Something Smells and it Ain’t Good! Very Dubious indeed. Early Election…Anyone???
It’s so hypocritical for Paul Murphy and Rich Boy Barrett to whine about “democracy” when they literally follow an ideology (Marxism) which has nothing but contempt for democratic checks and balances and believes that the current democratic order should be overthrown. Newsflash, what the government is doing is totally legal. The Independents in question are not part of the government and therefore are allowed to sit on the opposition benches. This allows them flexibility to vote for bills that benefit their constituents and vote against bills (like ones that are anti-agriculture and anti-farmer) which do not. I hate Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil as parties but this is nothing more than the left-wing and far-left parties causing a fuss to get a bit more media attention.
@William Jennings: that’s my take as well. The precedent was set when Tony Gregory made a deal with one of haugheys governments and still sat on the opposition benches and had speaking rights.
@William Jennings: ol’ mister ‘when America says jump the world should say how high’ pontificating about contempt for democracy. Hilarious.
@Setanta O’Toole: Listen troll, saying that I don’t care about the decision to make name changes of Mount McKinley and the Gulf of America has nothing to do with the fact that I’m calling out Marxism for its contempt of democratic checks and balances. You know what, I’m not even going to waste energy on you people. If you’ve a problem with anything that I say, kiss my ass. All you are doing is engaging in pure whataboutism and I won’t stand for it.
@William Jennings: Did they rename the Gulf of America already? That was quick. Lol! Ok. I’ll stop now.
He bank ruptured the country and people vote for hi thick Irish
Lowry is some absolute piece of
Well done FFG voters
Different laws for former Fine Gael ministers
In the first place a vote of no confidence in Verona Murphy as a neutral Ceann Comhairle would allow an unbiased consideration of the arbitration between the opposition and the government. Her election was a political stroke at the nature of government in itself.if she does not resign she will become the problem.
Secondly the speaking rights of each TD must be allowed regardless of belonging to technical groups. That disrespect for the people’s representatives has created this mess. It is always the majority who try to silence the minority. That is not democratic free speech.
Finally FF and FG have to stop pretending that they can throw their weight around as if they were a majority. They are not so compromise is required. The government formation of an omlette has resulted in a hash.
@Canon: IRA alive and well in The Dail
Big question here is Why does he have ” Severe power” over them???
@Colette Kearns: maybe they are his beeatches.
A scoundrel,and a gangster.
Quite protesting doesn’t work in this world they are simply ignored by the government’s.
@M G: Anger and rage are not policies
@Tim Brennan: And that’s what protesting is, is it? I think you’ll find anger and rage to be riots.
Hillarious.. the usual establishment trolls tell us there’s no credible opposition.. The opposition unites and they throw their toys out of their pram. They’d rather throw their support behind a ” profoundly corrupt ” politician .. and a government who invited him to the table to negotiate a programme for government. Hypocrites the lot of them.
Just has the feeling that we might have a repeat of 3 elections in the 18 months timeframe like in the 1980′s
FFFG SAME POWER THEY GAVE TO EAMON RYAN AND LOOK WHAT HE DID WITH IT
Gougers the lot of them. I think I’ll never vote again. That’s how desperate I feel about Irish politics now.
they should be all ashame of themselves
people are fighting for power and water.
not a word has come out from them about that !!! too busy faffing around their little powers and their little advantages.
C L O W N S !!!!!!!
@Dominic Leleu: shame? They don’t do shame, we allow them every time they phuck up by doing nothing and this has made them feel like they can do whatever the hell they like and as usual we will take it. They are a bunch of narcissistic muppets.
get that dic lowry into a secure hospital hes a stain
The government will fall rest assured it will not last very long mm made a deal will a man that is before the dpp and has alot trouble ahead, mm credibility is zero and he will pay the price, I pridect government lasting 12 months if
Irish politics is in a deeply depressing hole at the moment. I believe I will have to take over the entire country in a dictatorial manner, tear up the constitution, and impose my correct views on the public. I will need to gather at least €100 million first to pay off certain European corporations and people. Hang tight—I am on the way!
Lowry has some power for and indo …what has he on michael martin i wonder
This is what happens when you don’t vote. Look at them , no one can get their act together.
@Joy Fantastic.: I knew that the FFFG would vote in their droves for Same Old Same Old….from That point my vote was always going to be Null and Void…So I Didn’t bother for the first time in 30 years!
Very interesting—the comment section on Hazel Chu was closed, and my comments were deleted despite receiving a lot of support and likes. I wonder why that is. It likely has less to do with potential legal challenges and more to do with ideologically driven, disillusioned, and misguided editors straight out of college.
@SirMr: they can’t handle a bit of criticism, you dare say anything that they don’t want to hear and the insults start flying or something ending in ism.
@Róisín Flemping Bunt-Himmler PhD: I genuinely think you are off your rocker altogether
*taps microphone… ‘is this thing on?’
Same trolls with different names, boring
Míchael Martin describing the saga as “nuanced” and “complex”. The ‘go to’ for pulling the wool over the public’s eyes.
He needs to get a decent hair cut. Going round like a Hippie.
People better not come in their CARS or they will be locked in.
They were fools to get involved with Michael Lowry, even if there is a deal he will bring the Government down eventually
Banana Republic of Ireland, The land of brown envelopes, cute hoorism,nod and wink, cronieism, The most undemocratic institution in Europe and yet the sheep keep voting for this lot. “The sheep spend the whole of their lives in fear of the wolf only to be led to the slaughterhouse by the shepherd “.
Mehole & Harris lecturing people on Morality ,and they form a government with help from this cheat , Absolute hypocrisy and totally immoral
I thought it was Michael Lowrey?
So nobody loses any time. Sorted, the rest is just posturing!
Butler says “ no individuals can hold the Dail to ransom” yet that is precisely what FFG with,Butler at the whip, is allowing Lowry to do!!! Wrong doers playing the victim seems to have become a new trait!!!
An election is a reflection of the all of us.
That’s it. Accept it.
You mightn’t like but it’s life.
@rory457: Accept corruption? this attitude is what has us in this mess today. 42% of us didn’t even vote because they know nothing changes. You’re right we don’t like it and we will never accept it. The people running this country are gangsters and charlatans and decent people in our country should never accept this.
Maybe some individuals that have some interesting past dealings with each other in the political sphere or with other dubious people or organisations outside of the political sphere that wouldn’t be liked by the wider populace at large to find out.
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