The coalition blame game and a vote of no confidence
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What are the current political tensions surrounding the vote of confidence?
Now, fractious exchanges are expected in the Dáil this evening as a motion of confidence is debated amid the ongoing fallout from the fuel crisis, protests and blockades. TDs will also later vote on measures to implement that 500 million euro fuel package. In a moment, we'll hear about the broader cost of living impact for people already feeling the pinch with Dr Emma Howard, economist at TU Dublin. But first, I'm joined on the line now by Jack Horgan-Jones, political correspondent with the Irish Times. Morning, Jack.
Morning, David. How are you?
I presume we're expecting the government to handily win this vote?
Handily, yeah, but the margin is going to be interesting and the voting intentions of some of the independent TDs who nominally... Support the government will be interesting to watch as well. I mean, if you want to sum this up in one quick line, half the government, or at least a third of the cabinet, was supposed to be across the Atlantic on a trade mission in Canada this time this week. Instead, they're at home, as you say, defending emotion of confidence, putting emotion of confidence in themselves. Voting through financial resolutions to enable, frankly, enormous cost of living package that was rumoured to be in the tens of millions and turned out being more than 500 million in total. And trying to count the size of their own majority.
So if you wanted to just quickly express the impact of the political fallout,
How is the cost of living crisis impacting the government's decisions?
of the week of disruption from protests and blockades last week. That sums it up pretty neatly. They're nowhere near where they thought they would be. They're damaged, they're dented. Their internal cohesion, I suppose, is in question to some extent. And they're very much on the defensive, on the back foot.
Yeah, a bit of noise from Kerry TD Danny Healy-Ray about whether he's struggling with his conscience about whether he'll vote for the government in which his brother is the junior minister.
Yeah, and I suspect that if he does end up voting confidence in the government, he'll take it right down to the wire. I wouldn't be expecting any missives from Danny Healy-Ray as to his voting intention. And anyone who heard his interview with Radio Kerry, with Gerry O'Sullivan of Radio Kerry, yesterday could be left in no doubt as to the depth of his discomfort and displeasure with how the government handled things. And indeed, that's a discomfort that extends to Michael Healy-Ray, who last week was making comments that were in the round support of the protesters, while he did stop short of endorsing the blockades, I think that this speaks to, you know, the nature of a government that is propped up by independents.
There is no question, I think, that every independent minister will be voting in support of the government. But we have seen all of Danny Healey-Reay, Gillian Toole and Barry Heelan vote against the government, if memory serves, on less important measures during this dull term. Look, you know, there's no question of the government falling on this, but, you know, their support from what is nominally within their own ranks, I think will be a litmus test of the difficulty of its position and how damaged it has been by the last week or so.
What are the implications of the 500 million euro fuel package?
Now, that package of tax changes and excise duty changes has to be voted through tonight. I mean, obviously, again, one presumes they'll be voted through. Sinn Féin did vote against the last package. They said it didn't go far enough. Do we know what they're doing this time?
So they haven't signalled their intention as of yet, you're correct to say, that they were, if my memory serves, the only opposition party to vote against the excise cuts that were announced only three weeks ago. And the government sought to put some emphasis on that at the time, saying that Sinn Féin was calling for excise cuts, but then voted against them. Sinn Féin countered that. the coalition's package had not gone far enough. And I suspect that will be their line of attack. They will say the same again. Look, you've gone a certain distance, but you haven't gone as far as we wanted.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
What are the current political tensions surrounding the vote of confidence?
0:00–1:19
2
How is the cost of living crisis impacting the government's decisions?
1:19–2:53
3
What are the implications of the 500 million euro fuel package?
2:53–4:00
4
How are independent TDs influencing the government's support?
4:00–5:34
5
What challenges does Sinn Féin present to the government's financial plans?
5:34–6:53
6
What are the potential consequences of the government's spending measures?
6:53–8:31
7
How are long-term financial strategies being affected by current events?
8:31–10:50