Returning the Ceann Comhairle after the next election.

Mr Bloat

Regarding the resignation of John O'Donogue from position of Ceann Comhairle, many are speculating that he is delaying his resignation until the Greens have had their vote this weekend. Now, while I don't believe that the Greens will vote to leave office and John O'Donogue will not be Ceann Comhairle come the next election, obviously whoever is will be deemed to be automatically reelected.

My question is this: In the opinion of the posters here, during the next election will it be possible for Fianna Fail to claim under some Dail rules or contract, that John O'Donogue will be deemed to be reelected automatically because he was Ceann Comhairle for part of this Dail term, as well as getting the next Ceann Comhairle reelected automatically also? I could imagine that if an election were called, the Attorney General would suddenly find some clause that guarantees both the next and former Ceann Comhairle would be returned.

jprender

Nothing would surprise me with FF.

I feel that they will be such an insignificant player after the next GE that it really wont matter what they do.

cogITere

No, only the sitting C/C gets the "free pass".
No doubt, JOD will be re-elected however, huge local support and in Irish politics thats all that matters...........

seamus

Depends on the specific rules. He probably only needs to be sitting CC when the government is dissolved by the president and a GE called (even if the GE takes a few weeks/months to take place).

So this would require Cowen to go to the Aras on Monday or Tuesday (assuming the Greens pull out of Government). I don't see it happening that quickly, though Cowen might just do that for his buddy OD.

nkay1985

jprender wrote: »

Nothing would surprise me with FF.

I feel that they will be such an insignificant player after the next GE that it really wont matter what they do.

We'd all love to believe that the public would take such a a stand against Fianna Fail that they will be insignificant after the next GE but I'm afraid I can never see this happening. Just look at the abuses of power that hhave goine on under their tenure for decades now and then look at their GE performances during that same period. This will be no different. The best we can hope for is that there are enough votes to get anyone in instead of this shower but, rest assured, FF will never be insignificant in Irish politics.

funnyname

If the Greens vote to pull out of Goverment they won't do so until the bull is gone, although the he's bound to top the poll in the subsequent election ala Lowery.

jprender

I do hope you are wrong. Enough is enough already.

They will be at best 3rd ranked party after the next GE.


If FG manage to get elected to Govt outright, FF will then be the minor opposition party. That would be a start.

nkay1985

jprender wrote: »

I do hope you are wrong. Enough is enough already.

They will be at best 3rd ranked party after the next GE.


If FG manage to get elected to Govt outright, FF will then be the minor opposition party. That would be a start.

That would be a very nice start indeed. But their core support stretches so far that I wouldn't be surprised if they managed to out-poll Labour in the next GE. And that it will have to be a FG/Labour coalition because with Enda as leader, FG will never get the votes to form a government outright. Either way I think we'll be seeing FF as the main opposition party. The only thing that could put a spanner in the works is if The Greens pull out before the end of term but if that doesn't happen in the next week, it's not going to happen at all.

Banter Joe

Eamon Gilmore said on Pat Kenny this morning that if the Greens do pull out on Saturday, the motion of no confidence in JOD will be heard in the Dáil before the government is brought down.