The disbelief was evident in Mary Lou McDonald’s demeanour. She looked utterly taken aback, close to being lost for words. “If this is what we’ve come to,” she muttered softly. Clearly puzzled, the Sinn Féin leader, famous for her stern countenance, took off her spectacles. She was really surprised towards the end of her initial two-day confrontation with Simon Harris in the Dáil.
Regardless of how incomprehensible it was to Mary Lou, this was the nature of politics in Dáil Éireann. A politician usurping the stage and captivating the household television viewers! She was adamant that such a scenario wouldn’t occur on her side of the House.
The moment of shocking revelation came about on Tuesday, based on exchanges where the Taoiseach accused her party of presenting an alternative health budget that allocated significantly lower funds to healthcare than the Government. He urged the spectators to fact-check on SinnFein.ie.
Sinn Féin’s TDs were unanimous in their swift rejection of this assertion. On Wednesday, he thanked her for raising a question about postponed hospital appointments, but criticised the party for issuing a misleading press release, claiming that HSE’s projections of cancellations for 2023 had risen significantly from the previous year. He opined that any data made public by politicians should be accurate, while disputing comparison due to potential inaccuracies in data collection.
Notwithstanding his views, Mary Lou reminded that a record number of 250,000 appointments were cancelled. “Doesn’t matter what you compare it with. These cancellations are happening on an unprecedented scale,” she repeated.
“No, this is not a record at all,” he retorted back. Mary Lou criticised him for paying more heed to the presentation of the statistics rather than focusing on the quarter million of cancellations that took place. She stressed that these included 800 children waiting for chemotherapy. He was left with the question if he could acknowledge the existence of these figures.
Amidst a unique assembly session, a frosty politeness began to formulate between the Taoiseach and the female contender for his position. She commented in a subdued manner that she doesn’t require gratitude, just a resolution to the matter at hand. The person’s perception of her has no bearing on the situation.
It was a strange comment. The sitting Taoiseach, Simon Harris, acknowledged the far from ideal state of affairs. “It’s a long journey, but we are heading to improvement,” he acknowledged. It was evident from his statements that enhancements in community services, staff and financial resources were being made. However, he had a murky view of Sinn Féin’s perspective, suggesting it disregarded the facts with an almost nonchalant energy.
A narrative was emerging from Harris’ team. Leaders’ questions are not about personal interactions, but broader issues, he retorted assertively yet respectfully. He also cast a shadow of doubt over his political foe, alleging that the party had pre-determined the press releases even before entering the Dáil, conveniently excluding some critical facts provided by the health service executive.
Caught off guard by his attitude, she voiced her concerns over neglected hospital appointments, declaring the situation outrageous. Nevertheless, the Taoiseach reiterated the concerns were not absurd but were about serving the ordinary folks. He subtly urged her to present the whole truth to the public.
This incited anger from Sinn Féin members in Dáil. Frustrated at the accusation of misinformation over their alternative health budget plan, Sinn Féin’s Pearse Doherty vehemently denied the charges, accusing the Taoiseach of spreading lies and conjuring false claims.
Ignoring the heated squabble, the Taoiseach exhibited the contentious document imploring Sinn Féin to reintroduce it online. “I’ve kept a copy,” he stated. The session became an altercation, only to be halted by the cease and desist order from Ceann Comhairle.
The FG/SF internet summit recommenced after a brief pause. She beamed as she addressed the Prime Minister, reassuring him that health policy information is readily accessible on their online platform. His retort implied that it had recently been re-added. In contrast, she maintained that it had always been there. Simon Harris, working as an online sleuth, interjected. Offering evidence in the form of a screen capture, he promised to text it to her. This apparent gotcha moment left Mary Lou feeling quite flustered. The state of affairs in the Irish Parliament has become a hunt for information on others’ websites, a spectacle for audiences at home.
The turn of events left a Dublin Central representative feeling disgruntled. Unable to find the right words to express the shocking situation, she was left speechless. Following an awkward silence, Simon asserted that he’s simply learning from Mary Lou. Another party member teasingly asked about Shergar’s whereabouts.
Amid allegations of incorrect budget calculations by Sinn Féin, Mary Lou swiftly shifted her focus. The situation might have been different had the dialogue taken while top tier Sinn Féin members were in presence. However, with the absence of firebrands Louise O’Reilly, David Cullinane, and Pearse Doherty, Maurice Quinlivan became her primary support. Consequently, things remained relatively calm.
Wednesday’s proceedings had a noticeably tense undertone. In the course of seeking clarity on patient waiting lists for scoliosis treatment, Mary Lou reminded Simon of the attentive parents watching their exchange and quashed any room for sarcastic retorts. In response, Simon humorously thanked her while referring to her own avoidance of smart comments.
In the end, she redundantly labelled him both young and old. His only reaction was to laugh stating both labels.
Their interaction could be best described as frosty politeness, as it was cold and unyielding for now.