ANALYSIS: Fianna Fáil and some Labour backbenchers are the most vigorous in pursuing the TD
THERE ARE no Robespierres in Leinster House. The appetite is simply not there for a public political execution of Deputy Mick Wallace.
Apart from some Labour backbenchers, the most enthusiastic pursuit of the Wexford TD is being carried out by, of all people, Fianna Fáil.
Given the record of some senior figures in that party over the years, the Soldiers of Destiny may be unlikely moral crusaders but a political insider explained that it was about “spreading the muck” and getting the message across that “We’re not the only ones with a chequered track record”.
Fine Gael, on the other hand, with a few exceptions, is taking a more circumspect approach. The party has a skeleton or two in its own cupboard, after all.
Wallace’s handling of the whole affair has been awkward, to say the least and, in his attempt to draw the poison in advance of the publication of the tax defaulters’ list, he inflicted more damage on himself. Whatever his other faults, Dáil colleagues say Wallace is not a “cute hoor”.
At least he had the good sense not to go to Poland to indulge his passion for soccer but it would have been cleverer of him to step down from the Technical Group at an early stage to avoid the appearance of being forced out.
The main Opposition party jumped the gun yesterday when, prior to the lunchtime meeting of the party whips, Fianna Fáil Chief Whip Seán Ó Fearghaíl said they would be tabling a motion of censure on the Wexford TD even if the other parties backed away from it.
Party colleagues of his were emphatic afterwards that Fianna Fáil was not entering the unfamiliar territory known as the “moral high ground” but was simply responding to a reporter’s question. Within an hour or so, the party had backed off, for the moment anyway, and, along with the other whips, Deputy Ó Fearghaíl agreed to postpone further action until the Wallace case had been considered by the Select Committee on Members’ Interests of Dáil Éireann.
The whips decided on the basis of informal legal advice that it would be best to adopt a similar position to Ceann Comhairle Seán Barrett’s, namely that the matter be left to the select committee for now.
If the select committee could not deal with it, it would be taken up again by the whips. Another consideration was the possibility that a member of the public might take a complaint to An Garda Síochána or that the Revenue Commissioners might take action against him. The prospect of a motion of censure of Deputy Wallace has distinctly receded but his troubles are far from over.
The chairman of the select committee is Donegal Independent Thomas Pringle, who is part of the Technical Group which Mr Wallace has just left at the request of most of its members. Other select committee members include Dublin South TD Olivia Mitchell, who was recently exonerated by a Fine Gael inquiry of any complaint over accepting a donation from lobbyist Frank Dunlop 20 years ago.
The Technical Group has a long history of denouncing the misdeeds of members of the main parties but their discomfort with the Wallace case was obvious. For a time, it seemed many of them had abandoned the lofty moral heights from which they had fired so many volleys against political opponents. It took a number of hesitant and halting radio interviews for the “Technicals” to apply the same standards to their Wexford colleague.
As with Tipperary TD Michael Lowry, who has had his own difficulties, it seems Wallace still retains significant support on the ground in his constituency although this is ebbing as the facts of the case come home to the general public.
It would be an interesting exercise if he were to step down and then run again in the subsequent byelection. If he did so and won it would certainly silence most of the critics but it would be a major gamble.
In view of the damage to his reputation in recent days, his authority as a member of the Dáil has been seriously undermined. A byelection would be unlikely to bring any comfort to the Government, especially the Labour Party, which has been taking a hammering in the opinion polls.
Nor is it likely to be considered with any relish by Fine Gael.
Wallace topped the poll in the general election with more than 13,000 votes and got elected on the first count.
