Dan Boyle, in fairness, is acknowledged to do two things well. He is a regular contributor to the Seanad and is also a good user of social media. Therefore when I saw his (now famous tweet) when heading into Leinster House on Wednesday night I thought something was up. When he didn’t appear in the Seanad yesterday I knew something was up.
We placed a motion of No Confidence in Deputy O’Dea yesterday morning in the chamber. It was a moment of gravity. FF didn’t know that it was coming. The absence of the Green Party Senators added to the sense that something was going to happen. We then saw the Government barely win a vote in the Dail at lunchtime. The simmering atmosphere in Leinster House began to crackle.
And then, the fatal wound. Most such wounds in politics are self inflicted. Yesterday was no different. A disastrous performance on the News at One where the Minister described himself as a victim ended the saga.
What now for the Green Party? At the end of the day they voted for a minister on Wednesday and then finished off his career yesterday. But I think what this illustrates is a lack of experience in Government. They were bounced into a decision on Wednesday and then realised they did the wrong thing. They’ll pay a price for that lack of judgement. In the end I’m pretty sure that both FF and the Greens will do all they can to avoid an election now. Almost certain decimation would await them on their current polling figures. However this week again shows that the little things are as dangerous as the big ones in politics!
Paschal Donohoe is a Fine Gael Senator
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