Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)

-----or Simon Harris, for that matter? What debt is owed to him that the Taoiseach is willing to tear down the integrity of the Dáil just to keep him sweet? We know that providing him with access to the main platform where the Opposition holds Government to account was part of this grubby deal. Tomorrow, the Government plans the ludicrous spectacle of Lowry group of TDs standing up after Leaders' Questions to question the Government that they support and they designed and delivered. Of course, Micheál Martin was adamant that this was about ensuring fair speaking time for Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael backbenchers. That bubble has truly burst. This is not about backbenchers. It never was. This is about Michael Lowry. The reality is the Lowry group of TDs get four times more speaking time than Fianna Fáil backbenchers. Just as Micheál Martin spent his first term as Taoiseach throwing Fianna Fáil Ministers under the bus to protect his deal with Fine Gael, in his second term he now throws Fianna Fáil backbenchers under the bus to protect his grubby deal with Michael Lowry.

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