The eviction ban was lifted today, April 1, but the Dáil is already on an incredible two-week break before Easter – which virtually no one noticed.
how are the fools here? The politicians play the public, but their shortsightedness may come back to bite them in polls and approval ratings. Has there ever been a suspension that was so badly timed and out of sync with the public vote?
The House quietly went into recess Thursday night after cursory consideration of a bill to create a national register of personal property, to be maintained and consulted by An Garda Síochána, so that people can be informed if stolen (and pre-registered) property has been stolen. ) are. restored.
A good idea, no doubt, but it was crushed by the coalition, for the second time, because it had been introduced by Sinn Féin.
There were so few speakers in the Dáil that the ax came an hour and 20 minutes early.
Sinn Féin TD Martin Kenny made the final contribution: “I accept that if the government is not going to support the legislation then it will clearly go nowhere.
“It’s a Thursday night, at the last sitting before Easter recess with no one else in the room, so I’m not going to keep us talking about it here forever, but the intent with the bill was to find a mechanism to ensure that people’s property is better protected and that the rightful owner can be traced in the event of theft.”
But it wasn’t to be. The Dáil was adjourned at 6:40 pm to 2:00 pm on Tuesday 18 April.
Why a religious festival that is always held on a Sunday should interrupt the work of the Irish Parliament for two weeks must be a real puzzle to many – especially when politicians recently pulled a similar stunt on St. Patrick’s Day.
Granted, taking advantage of an extraordinary opportunity for Irish interests, they flew back and forth around the world.
Sinn Fein TD Martin Kenny. Photo: Kyran O’Brien
Delayed jet-leg from his trip to Hong Kong, Singapore, Shanghai and Beijing may explain Eamon Ryan’s stumbling performance Tomorrow Ireland yesterday, when admitted, he “wasn’t as clear as he could have been”.
He claimed that starting this weekend there would be a safety net for tenants whose landlords are selling – that they get a first refusal when buying their home. But the ‘tenant in situ’ plan is not ‘up and running’, as Mr Ryan claims, because it needs legislation – and no one will be legislating in Dáil Éireann for the next two and a half weeks.
Clearly, the government could have prepared that legislation and rushed through it before it was adjourned until Easter – and Mr Ryan’s empty claims only underline that fact.
Likewise, it may have entered someone’s mind to shorten the long break so that the job can be done next week – if it’s not Easter yet.
But no, the government has temporarily evacuated her home while others are forcibly evicted. The disconnect is stark.
While some TDs traditionally fly abroad for a break at this time of year, it will be suspected by some that this year’s two and a half week break was arranged to enjoy grandeur on the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement and the related visit of US President Joe Biden.
Cold comfort for those looking for roots, rather than reconnecting with them.