The sorry spectacle of running with the hare and hunting with the hounds is the result of cute hoor politics. Fianna Fail, long renowned for the practice, has now been joined by Fine Gael. Charlie Haughey would be smiling at the thought of how the Blueshirts who criticised him so much for cute hoor politics have now been coopted into the ranks of its practitioners. GUBU, a term once coined by Conor Cruise O'Brien, perfectly characterises the behaviour of both government parties. Giving speaking rights, traditionally reserved for the Opposition bench, to government TDs comes as close to being grotesque, unbelievable, bizarre and unprecedented as those events surrounding the Haughey leadership of 1982 when the Malcolm MacArthur scandal was going full throttle.
At the centre of the speaking rights scandal is none other than the scandalous Michael Lowry. His leadership of the Regional Independent Group, when coupled to the Healy-Rea outfit, enabled him to become a key fixer in government preparation talks between the two groups and Fine Gael/Fianna Fail that led to the formation of the current government coalition. Part of the deal was that his technical group despite effectively being part of government and not the Opposition would be given speaking rights in a GUBU breach of Dail convention. An integral part of the government, as reward for being part of the government formation, is now allowed to take up opposition speaking time.
Despite virulent and vociferous objections from Sinn Fein, the main opposition party, the government pushed through amendments overriding any protests.
The contemptible Michael Lowry, consistent with his history of malfeasance in office, gave two fingers to those complaining in the Dail. This is the venal arrogance that is both courted and rewarded by cute hoor politics. The Moriarty Tribunal deemed Lowry to have exercised an “insidious and pervasive” influence in a bid to secure a business outcome in a way that was 'profoundly corrupt to a degree that was nothing short of breathtaking.” It is for such a character that parliamentary protocol and tradition is being jettisoned.
It might be churlish to claim that Michael Lowry is unfit for public office. The electorate not the commentariat get to decide who is or is not fit to represent it in parliament. It is not churlish to claim that public office is not fit for purpose when it not only contains people like Lowry but sees its highest officials buy his support with what is nothing short of an effective political bribe.
At the centre of the speaking rights scandal is none other than the scandalous Michael Lowry. His leadership of the Regional Independent Group, when coupled to the Healy-Rea outfit, enabled him to become a key fixer in government preparation talks between the two groups and Fine Gael/Fianna Fail that led to the formation of the current government coalition. Part of the deal was that his technical group despite effectively being part of government and not the Opposition would be given speaking rights in a GUBU breach of Dail convention. An integral part of the government, as reward for being part of the government formation, is now allowed to take up opposition speaking time.
Despite virulent and vociferous objections from Sinn Fein, the main opposition party, the government pushed through amendments overriding any protests.
The contemptible Michael Lowry, consistent with his history of malfeasance in office, gave two fingers to those complaining in the Dail. This is the venal arrogance that is both courted and rewarded by cute hoor politics. The Moriarty Tribunal deemed Lowry to have exercised an “insidious and pervasive” influence in a bid to secure a business outcome in a way that was 'profoundly corrupt to a degree that was nothing short of breathtaking.” It is for such a character that parliamentary protocol and tradition is being jettisoned.
It might be churlish to claim that Michael Lowry is unfit for public office. The electorate not the commentariat get to decide who is or is not fit to represent it in parliament. It is not churlish to claim that public office is not fit for purpose when it not only contains people like Lowry but sees its highest officials buy his support with what is nothing short of an effective political bribe.
The government contempt for public disquiet would seem to be captured in the shovelfuls of spin and spoof it has dug up to extricate itself from a hole. The public - let them eat fake.
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Is it "Hoor" or "Hurr"?
ReplyDeleteye hoor, ye
Deletesoyeare
ReplyDeleteGod I miss Belfast craic
ReplyDeletethere is a lot to be said for it, now
Delete