Toole questions attempts to‘silence the independent voice’
Meath East TD Gillian Toole questioned whether a row over speaking rights in Dáil Eireann last week which saw the election of Micheal Martin as Taoiseach delayed by 24 hours was "an attempt to silence the independent voice."
There was chaotic scenes in the Dáil last week after some of the Regional Independent TDs involved in negotiating and supporting the Programme for Government sought to keep their Dáil speaking time in opposition technical groups receiving major condemnation from the opposition benches.
As a result of the commotion the parliament had to be suspended twice last week with Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy making the decision not to recognise the group until further clarification on their position is determined.
Speaking to Meath Chronicle this week, Toole a member of the Regional Independent Group was sticking to her guns saying: "Not everybody wants to be in a party. Is this an attempt to silence the independent voice?"
"The country is changing and the numbers of independents are increasing, and you will have independents in the future. Who will want to support a government or people coming forward with life experience or business experience who are not in a party?
"We're not going to stand on the sideline and complain, we're actually coming forward with some solutions. And you know something, we are willing to roll up our sleeves and take a chance, and we actually putting ourselves forward to support the government to get solutions.
"This is another step in the evolution to recognise the way people vote and the absolute right the representatives have to represent the people who vote for them."
Meanwhile Meath West TD, Peadar Toibin was at the centre of more fireworks in the Dáil last week after a massive row saw most of the opposition unite in protest at Aontú and the Regional Technical Group uniting in a bid to secure speaking rights in the Dail.
Opposition TDs and parties were totally opposed to members of the Regional Technical Group, who had negotiated the programme for government, getting opposition speaking rights.
Aontú had formed a group with the four Regional Technical Group TDs who had not been appointed junior or super junior ministers.
As the row continued, Aontú withdrew from the deal and party leader, Peadar Tóibin, confirmed the party has joined an alternative grouping called the Independent Technical Group which consists of Independent Ireland members and Deputy Paul Fogarty.
"We have to demonstrate responsibility to the people who voted for us, but the archaic system in the Dail means we wont get to speak unless we are part of a technical group," Deputy Tóibín said.
Sinn Fein's Deputy Johnny Guirke said it had been great to see such a united opposition working together.
"Everybody agreed that they were either in government, or not."
He said that within an hour of Deputy Toibin getting up to support the Regional Technical Group, he had withdrawn from it.
"Why didn't he go with the Independent Ireland group in the first place, instead of supporting Michael Lowry's group. Why was Michael Lowry's group his first port of call," the Meath West TD asked.