Talking the talk – but still a long walk to agreement

World of Politics with Harry McGee

After last week’s temper-tantrums between Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil, both have had a few days to cool their heels and approach the process as adults rather than as rowdy children.

To use the voguish Americanism, both parties reached out to each other over the weekend.

That manifested itself in an early morning meeting on Saturday between Leo Varadkar of Fine Gael and Jim O’Callaghan of Fianna Fáil.

It led directly to the first session of real and meaningful talks between both parties on Monday and talks have continued this week.

Shockingly, neither side leaked any information about what occurred during the 90-minute encounter between the two teams of four.

Usually politicians leak like a sieve with the exception of Sinn Féin (who are very good at keeping secrets). But this week, they all kept schtum.

If they manage to keep up the new-found Omerta, it will be hard to gauge what progress, if any, is made.

The first real indication has been the resumption of the Dáil and the third vote on the nomination of Taoiseach. With it a fair indication on what progress has been made and perhaps a hint on when the historic new arrangement can become a reality.

The new government, if it is formed, will be radically different from anything we have seen in the State, including the inter-party governments of the 1940s and 1950s with their multiplicity of independents and smaller parties.

Even then, a majority was only by a hair’s breadth – now, it’s an ocean away.

There is no doubt that the business of politics as we know it in Ireland will be markedly difficult.

Labour introduced the device of the Economic Management Council (EMC) to equalise power, especially on economic matters, and ensure that not all the big financial decisions rested with the bigger party.

What we will see now is a more elaborate version of that, extended right across parliament. For one, every major (and contentious) policy or piece of legislation will have to be scrutinised by Fianna Fáíl beforehand.

What’s more, you will see a big shift in the way parliament operates. There will be a move away from an almost total reliance on plenary sessions in the Dáil. The reforms that are proposed envisage committees having new powers.

For example, an all-party Budget Committee would vet and approve the major budgetary commission. Housing policy and action would be determined by a housing committee.

It is possible that the over-arching strategy for health for the next decade might not originate from the Department of Health, rather from a special committee.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.