Fine Gael and Labour had their first public disagreement since the "Mullingar Accord" over the election of the Leas-Cheann Comhairle, following Labour's deal with the Government.
Fianna Fáil and the Labour Party had agreed that Brendan Howlin, Labour's justice spokesman in the last Dáil, should be nominated. However, Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny sought unsuccessfully to nominate Pádraic McCormack (FG, Galway West) for the position.
Mr Howlin, a former minister for the environment and for health, was elected to the job by 106 to 49 votes and only Fine Gael opposed his appointment, on the grounds that the Government had "bypassed the major Opposition party".
Mr Kenny told the Dáil that Taoiseach Bertie Ahern "should have shown the courtesy" of telling Opposition leaders that he would appoint from their benches and "allowed us to discuss among ourselves the men and women who might have been suitable nominees as Leas-Cheann Comhairle. To do business in such an inappropriate way is to fail to respect the electoral mandates of the Opposition parties".
He added: "The Taoiseach is now the new emperor of Ireland. L'état, c'est moi. Una duce, una voce. It appears that the Taoiseach can implement and do whatever the hell he likes from now on."
Mr Ahern, who made the nomination, said Mr Howlin, a TD for 20 years, had been engaged in most positions in the House and would be a "very distinguished Leas-Cheann Comhairle".
As a row ensued over the nomination, Ceann Comhairle John O'Donoghue said he could not accept a proposal from Mr Kenny because he had given no notice that an alternative name would be proposed.
After Mr Howlin's election, Mr Kenny said he had objected to the election taking place without a debate. Mr Ahern had been magnanimous in allowing the position to go to the Opposition, but "he has gone further and named an individual deputy without any consultation with the Fine Gael party, which has 51 members, a third of the Dáil. That shows contempt and shows no respect for an electoral mandate given to us by more than 500,000 people."
Mr Kenny said he had no objection to Mr Howlin's "character or qualities", but by bypassing Fine Gael the Government was showing "contempt for the House".
Labour leader Pat Rabbitte agreed with Mr Kenny that there were a number of people in the House who could do the job with distinction, but "I can think of no member of the House, however, who is more suited to the position of Leas-Cheann Comhairle than Deputy Brendan Howlin".
He described him as a "skilled parliamentarian with a detailed knowledge of parliamentary procedure. He is dedicated to enhancing the institutions of the Oireachtas." He added, however, that "more and more nowadays we live in a political environment where the winner takes all. I do not believe this is good for politics, nor for the institutions of these Houses".
