Cuffe speaks with una voce, out of both sides of his mouth

DÁIL SKETCH:GREEN PARTY TD Ciaran Cuffe threw a spanner in the Government's works yesterday, when he expressed reservations about the controversial Criminal Justice Bill.

However, the Coalition engine will motor on when the vote is taken next week and the Dún Laoghaire TD will be supporting the Government. Cuffe was uneasy about using the non-jury Special Criminal Court to deal with gangland crime.

He was also against the guillotining of the Bill, arguing that legislation of its significance should not be rushed through the Oireachtas. “One key role of a parliament is scrutiny,” he declared.

Fine Gael’s Lucinda Creighton interjected: “Maybe Deputy Cuffe should pull out of the Government then.” Finian McGrath suggested that he join the Independent benches. Creighton, who was the next speaker, resumed her onslaught on the Green TD.

It was more than disingenuous to condemn the guillotining of legislation when speaking from the Government benches, she said.

In sneering tones, Fine Gael’s young tigress recommended that Cuffe take “his problems to his party Ministers and suggest they do something about it at Cabinet, instead of speaking out of both sides of his mouth”.

Cuffe responded: “I do not subscribe to the uno duce, una voce approach to government.”

Creighton retaliated. Coming into the House, supporting the Government while at the same time criticising it, was utterly disingenuous, she said.

Later, when Green Party leader John Gormley made his contribution, fellow TD Mary White listened attentively and in silence. She smiled at her leader’s witty asides. It was, for the Greens, at that moment, a case of one leader, one voice.

So is colleague Cuffe going the way of Paul Gogarty, the well known semi-detached member of the party ? TDs remained solidly attached to party lines when the House moved on to statements on the OECD and IMF reports.

Taoiseach Brian Cowen dealt with the criticism of the stewardship of the government in which he had the finance portfolio. He claimed that nobody was right in what they thought would happen in those Celtic Tiger days. “My regret is that I did not manage to predict that such a seismic shock to the world economy was going to happen and neither did anyone else,” said Cowen.

The word “regret” suggested the emergence of the green shoots of an apology. Well, at least, humility. But they disappeared underground when he added: “However, I stand over the decisions I made based on the best information and advice that I had.” He became philosophical. “By definition, nobody has the benefit of hindsight,” he added.

Enda Kenny and Eamon Gilmore set the tone on the other side of the House when they rubbished the Taoiseach’s remarks.

From then on, it was the Opposition’s outline of the scorched earth of the Irish economy, with Government speakers suggesting that some back-breaking fiscal cultivation would provide the scent of roses in time.

And so the long Friday sitting concluded, paving the way for the weekend Leinster House exodus.