Ray D'Arcy

Debates such as these are constitutional safeguards designed as a grave acts of censor, but are now moved with weary regularity.

All TDs are diminished when their gravest sanction becomes predictable partisan grandstanding.

Debates that once tested conscience now resemble choreography.

Enough, says Con Jordan.

Dublin 14.

There's no doubt that the government are going to win this vote.

I find it funny that they have to then do a counter motion of a vote of confidence in themselves.

We're confident in ourselves.

We're very confident in ourselves.

We should all have a vote of confidence in ourselves.

We need that.

Before you get out of bed in the morning, just say in your head, I'm going to do a vote of confidence in myself for today.

Difficult sometimes, isn't it?

Difficult sometimes.

I was listening back to the recording of that show with Moira Brennan and I just got a bit of me at the start and I sounded very low in confidence that particular day.

And that happens.

I suppose if you're on the radio, you have to get up and do it.

And sometimes you can create a mask and sometimes you can't.

And that particular day, the mask wasn't there and I sounded down.

But then, of course, talking to Máire Brennan about one of my favourite songs of all time, favourite Irish songs in a lifetime, lifted the spirits, lifted the spirits.