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THE FINE GAEL ‘rebels’ are continuing their quest to be granted speaking rights – but there have been no official moves made towards teaming up with the Labour TDs that are in the same situation.
As speculation rages that a new political party could even be formed, one independent TD said that he would be disappointed if Fine Gael thought he would team up with them for such a move.
One of the ‘rebels’, Fine Gael TD Billy Timmins, told TheJournal.ie that from his point of view the group were working together, and that he had not made any moves towards contacting the Labour TDs.
However, he could not rule out if others had made an attempt to contact Labour.
A Dáil Technical Group must comprise of a majority of non-aligned (ie no party affiliation) members in order to be recognised and have speaking rights in Dáil debates.
Alliance
It emerged last week that moves were being made to create a new alliance of independent TDs and disaffected and former Labour TDs for the purposes of speaking rights.
Timmins said that he believed the Oireachtas would have to pass changes to standing orders to enable the TDs to speak, but there are not insignificant hurdles when it comes to this. One belief is that if the current Technical Group saw enough of its members leave to join another group, then this new group could be designated the only Technical Group with speaking rights.
It is currently not possible to have more than one Technical Group.
One possibility for the ‘rebels’ is getting speaking time from the Technical group, but this is not their preferred option, said Timmins. Due to the challenges faced by the disenfranchised TDs from both Labour and Fine Gael, there has been speculation of the formation of a new party.
Indpendent TD Thomas Pringle said that he “would be disappointed” if the Fine Gael rebels “thought I would join them in a political party”.
Technical group
Independent TD John Halligan told TheJournal.ie that the Technical Group haven’t had contact with any of the Fine Gael TDs who are looking for speaking rights.
He said that the Technical Group can “do our best to accommodate” people within the time they themselves are allocated, if they receive a request for speaking time.
Halligan said that he has a great belief in people “having the right to speak in the Dáil”.
I have no doubt about it that those who left on a matter of principle, they may have thought they could get speaking rights and found that they weren’t able. That’s the difficulty they face. Do they go the next 2.5 years with very restricted [speaking] rights.
“It is not right that because someone has a falling out with their party they are condemned to the back benches,” said Halligan. He thinks leaving the disenfranchised members without a right to speak “isn’t democratic”.
He said that contact might be made by the rebels in September, when the Dáil resumes.
Halligan added that he did not know if it was up to the ceann comhairle to introduce change on this, but that if so he didn’t anticipate change as “he is extremely conservative”.
Halligan admitted that while he might have differences with some of the Fine Gael rebels, they have a right to speak.
He described Roisín Shortall as a “quality TD” and expressed disappointment that “she would be left in the doldrums if you like”.
Thomas Pringle
Deputy Pringle said that the Technical Group “have always been speaking against the way the standing orders have mitigated against us” and they support any change to the standing orders.
He agreed that all elected members of the Dáil should be entitled to speak, but pointed out that the Fine Gael rebels “weren’t too supportive” of the Technical Group itself in the past.
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A sky news journalist was fired upon in Ukraine and it made international headlines for a few day after the event, and rightly so. I wonder will the cold blooded murder of a journalist by the iof make the same waves internationally.
We need sanctions against the israhelli regime now. The israhelli regime can not be allowed to continue with the murder and ethnic cleasing of Palestinians. #BDS
@Eamonn Connaghan: “They are b&stards, but our b&stards”, to misquote certain American president.
@Eamonn Connaghan: this sad and tragic murder is receiving a lot of coverage this morning, RTÉ sky 24 BBC 24 and CNN
@George Demo: Yes but in a lot of those cases they are not specifying that it was Israeli fire that killed her.
@Eamonn Connaghan: iof, clever, proper name for them really.
@Zmeevo Libe: Don’t put all your eggs into the one b@stard.
@Eamonn Connaghan: you guys know well that the journalist was caught in the cross fire of the two warring factions.. But you love any chance to demonise israel as does the irish media.. Regardless of the facts..
@Victor Feldman: She was a thorn isn the side of the Israelis for her reporting. She had been previously arrested by them on many occasions.
According to other journalists in the area she and the other journalists had reported to the Israelis that they were covering the story and were on site. They were wearing the PRESS jackets and helmets. According to witnesses the journalists were well away from any conflict between the 2 sides. Yet you know well that it was crossfire. Have you given your report to the UN or Amnesty or any other international organisation? Probably not as they are all corrupt and biased against Israel aren’t they? I wonder why…..
Israel lost the plot decade’s ago and worse they’re getting. Their policy to the Palestinians and the actions of the IDF are shameful. Next comes the slick and sickly PR with obfuscation and conciliatory tones. They just don’t get it. Lots of nukes and a big army won’t prevent them from reeping the harvest they sow with caleous disregard. May Ms Abu Akleh rest in peace.
This brave women was assassinated by occupying forces. Her crime, being both a journalist and Palestinian.
Yet again evidence of Israeli justice. No trail, no charges just a bullet fired into her brain. Other journalist were also injured so this was a targeted assassination. Even those who tried to recover her remains came under fire. Preventing any medical help reaching her.
May she rest in peace.
They rarely justify these killings but this journal…ist was wearing a flak jacket with PRESS on it. The Israeli sniper knew how to aim his American rifle.
@Bramley Hawthorne: proof please
There are no Israeli “security forces” in the Occupied West Bank, there are only Israeli armed forces brutally occupying it, like Putin’s forces in Ukraine
The Israeli army/paramilitaries kill about two or three Palestinians every week.
I wonder what their ‘investigation’ will conclude. Will they release the body cam footage?
@Watchful Axe: I doubt body cam footage will show anything, wasn’t it a sniper.
@Watchful Axe: Palestine have her body and won’t join a joint investigation
I wonder why
@Kieron Meehan: havent been asked to! Autopsy is being carried out
‘The sad death…’ should that not read ‘murder’? Why repeat the euphemism?
Excuse disjointed comment but I was being flagged as ‘toxic’ every second word.
Absolutely disgraceful attitude from the US. When asked whether the US would support an international investigation, US Department of State spokesman Ned Price said: “Israel has the wherewithal to conduct a thorough investigation”.
@Fr. Fintan Stack: Never mind about this, it’ll be forgot about in a day or two, just make sure you have a Ukrainian flag in your bio. Or else.
Is Israeli Jews believe in God, do they really think he’d be fine with how they carry on? They base their aggression on an idea that Jesus gave them that land and it’s rightly theirs. But do they think they’d meet Jesus in heaven and his position would be “it’s fine to shoot innocent people if it’s to do with property and land ownership. In that instance my son, of course you may kill”
@Rob Gale: The god of the bible was fond of a lot of smiting and slaughter so I’d say they’d be grand once they get up there.
@Rob Gale: buddie.. The Jewish religion does not believe in jesus. At that period the Jewish people had been around for a couple of thousand years.
Has anything been proved
Palestine won’t join a joint investigation
Why?
@Kieron Meehan: Israel won’t agree to an independent international investigation. I wonder why.
@Kieron Meehan: strange that you spit out the same nonsense a couple of times on the comments when it clearly stated in the article Israel haven’t contacted the palestinians
@Fr. Fintan Stack: it won’t agree to an international investigation because there are countries like Ireland who viscerally dislike Israel.
have your say