Hello War, Goodbye Bertie

national | miscellaneous | news report Wednesday March 12, 2003 14:34 by Daithi macsithd at tcd dot ie

Coment on the phantom parliament

How will you be spending St. Patrick's Day? Or "week", according to the age-old Political Calendar?

Michael D. Higgins spoke in the Dail today regarding the decision to adjourn the Dail for nearly two weeks and effectively preventing a debate on Iraq; it was vintage Michael D, and the transcript probably won't reflect the actual language and tone of it (there was even applause at the end which is rare in the Dail) - RTE played part of the recording, will be available later at http://www.rte.ie/news/2003/0311/news1pm.html. I can't consider trying to match the passion of his speech and I'm not going to.

There is something vaguely ironic about a Taoiseach that celebrates St. Patrick's Day by closing down debate on a potential war, while travelling across the world to offer homage and fealty to those who would try and drag the world into war, and on the failure of that effort, go it alone with the moral support of the fence-sitters like our dear Mr. Ahern. I suppose we should be grateful that he didn't take another week off to watch the races at Cheltenham like the Ministers who were supposed to be defending their Freedom of Information amendemnts (the worst names proposal since Atoms for Peace) - but for someone who has gambled away an apparently flush treasury it might bring back bad memories.

So while the Taoiseach presents his bowl of shamrock this year, he'll be able to have a little joke with Bush. About funny elections, funny dealings, funny coincidence, funny money and of course an hilarious grasp of law - not to mention morality.

It's so funny I could laugh until I cry.