“Democracy has to be better reflected in the house rules” - Toole

East Meath TD Gillian Toole has said that “democracy has to be better reflected in the house rules” after the Ceann Comhairle, Verona Murphy ruled that non-ministerial Regional Independent Group TDs cannot form a technical group for opposition speaking time in the Dáil.

There was chaotic scenes in the Dáil last month 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.

Although Toole says that she accepts the decision, she maintains that provision will have to be made going forward for non-party TDs who want speaking time.

“The Ceann Comhairle has made her decision on standing order 170 as it currently stands and I have to abide by that but I've said all along that the independent voice still has to be heard,” said Toole.

“I'm a 58 year-old independent, I have one window, this five year term,” she added.

“I've spent ten years on Meath County Council coming up with solutions that are relevant to national issues, an opportunity has presented itself to contribute those solutions through the Programme for Government and I'm very happy to be involved to do that, but I'm still a Meath East representative who is now in limbo not being a member of a government party.

“We've never claimed to be opposition. It's just that the standing orders, as they currently stand are binary. It's opposition or nothing.

“So if this is to be resolved it will be up to, in my opinion up to the Dail Reform and Review Committee to review the standing orders, because politics in Ireland is changing.”

Toole says she believes there needs to be a review of groups in the Dail.

“Standing orders even at council level, they are slow to evolve,” said the Meath East TD.

“It's only as problems occur that you go back and you look at the standing orders. As it currently stands, there is no provision there and that is a major problem.

“Life is changing. Representation is changing. So these things should be fluid, but by the nature of bureaucracy, things move quite slowly. I stood to be somebody who would come forward with solutions, who's not afraid to question, to challenge, and to represent a Meath voice. I never said I was opposition.

“I made lots of contributions on the health sector. I contributed on crime, on justice, on agriculture, across all departments, I had an input, and I'm very happy to say that I've been able to do that. But even this morning, I was in Dunshaughlin, two quite serious national issues were brought to my attention by residents. And they're not something that are captured in the programme for government, but they're very relevant to Meath people, and they have a national relevance as well. And I need to be able to raise those in the Dáil.

“Democracy has to be better reflected in the house rules.”

Toole says she hopes the The Dáil Reform Committee will give some clarity to her position. I am chomping at the bit for committees to form for us to get on with the job.

“There will be more independents elected to Meath County Council in the future. But the point that's being missed here, and I think JFK said it, it's not the Republican way or the Democratic way, it's the right way.

“There should be collaboration. Just let us get on with doing the job and work together. It shouldn't be one party way or another. And actually, this would probably have arisen if the smaller parties had been in the position of the independent, It was the greens in the past. So it's the sign of the changing face of politics and public representation.”