Spoke on the Order of Business today in relation to the status of the Lisbon Treaty. Made the point that any plan that assumes the support of the Irish people is doomed to fail. The challenge of a hugely unpopular government asking for the support of the Irish people in the referendum is not to be under estimated. I argued that the Oireachtas must be brought into the centre of the debate on firstly, the legal status of the guarantees and secondly, the role of the Parliament on European affairs.
We forced a vote on the need for a debate on the closure of wards in Crumlin’s children hospital. Lot of the time of the Order of Business taken up over the need for Seanad reform with Joe O’Toole making a particularly colourful contribution on the government haggling over the vacant Senate seats.
