The battle among the Left, with inevitably strong historical tones, surfaced again in the Dáil yesterday.
The target of United Left Alliance's Clare Daly was Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore, who made the transition over the years from Workers' Party TD to Labour leader and the second most senior post in the Cabinet.
Daly evoked the 1913 lockout when accusing the Government of treachery in ramming through the legislation cutting public service pay and pensions. The Tánaiste, she said, was a former trade union official and a member of a party that emerged from battles over the right to join a trade union of one’s choice that brought Dublin to a standstill.
Accusing Labour of a new low, she asked about the fate of the unions opposing the Haddington Road agreement.
“They may not decide to shoot themselves, or to allow the Government to shoot them,’’ said Daly. “They may, in the public interest, turn the gun on this administration.’’
Independent TD Finian McGrath remarked that there was a great deal of shooting going on. “Guns and roses,’’ said fellow Independent TD Mattie McGrath.
Gilmore, no wilting rose when under pressure, turned his political fire on Daly. He would not, he said, take lectures from a Deputy who could not remain in a party with only two members.
This was a reference to her split with the Socialist Party and its other TD Joe Higgins.
He said he had learned from trade union work that the first thing any union member wanted was his or her job. The Government was seeking to protect employment within the public service.
Daly said the history books would show she had been in fewer political parties than the Tánaiste.
“One difference between us is that I remain on the right side of the barricades and have not crossed over to the enemy camp. I do not believe the Tánaiste will be able to state the same in his CV.’’
Labour’s Emmet Stagg said he thought Daly had abandoned Leon Trotsky’s memoirs. Party colleague Eric Byrne asked if Daly could provide him with a copy of the memoirs.
As the exchanges progressed, Government backbenchers rallied to Gilmore’s defence. It prompted Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin to note that Fine Gael TD Bernard Durkan had given the Tánaiste a ringing endorsement. Martin was conscious that there was much talk in Leinster House about Durkan’s verbally explosive exchanges with Vincent Browne on his TV3 programme this week.
Durkan was too busy lambasting Fianna Fáil to reply to Independent TD Michael Healy-Rae when he asked if he would be a guest again on Browne’s programme. He has not lost his voice after the TV3 confrontation.
Later, no TD had a voice when the Government’s proposal to adjourn the Dáil until next Tuesday week as a June break went through on the nod.
It was one of those rare occasions for cross-party agreement in Leinster House. The tyranny of parliamentary work had been lifted from the shoulders of our legislators for a week.
