“I’m not going anywhere.”
Fighting talk from Micheál Martin in an interview last week amid dark rumblings in the ranks over his handling of the presidential election debacle.
The Dáil resumed on Tuesday after the Halloween break.
Micheál was on a plane to Brazil.
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Which was a stroke of luck.
He will be gone for some time.
While the Taoiseach was polishing his maracas on the way to discovering his inner Barry Manilow, he left his loyal sidekick and co-custodian of the election fiasco, Jack Chambers, to hold the fort back in Dublin.
So it’ll be Chambers of Commerce, the Minister for Public Expenditure, doing Leaders’ Questions this week. It’s a change from the Minister for Justice, Jim O’Callaghan, who has been the recent stand-in of choice.
But Big Jim is being touted within and without Fianna Fáil as the person best positioned to replace Micheál as party leader, and even Taoiseach. So there’s no point in giving him any more exposure than he already has.
Micheál wasn’t the only one missing. There was a Catherine Connolly-shaped gap up in the top corner of the Opposition benches, right next to Donegal TD Charles Ward, of the 100% Redress Party.
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The big difference was that the Independent TD for Galway West will not be coming back.
Ceann Comhairle Verona Murphy marked her political passing with a short announcement at the start of proceedings.
“It is the first time since 1973 that a sitting TD has successfully contested a presidential election and it is the first time in the history of our Constitution that a sitting female TD has successfully contested a presidential election,” she beamed - delighted for Catherine and delighted for the Dáil.
“Members are also advised that, pursuant to Article 12.6 of Bunreacht na hÉireann, the president-elect ceased to be a member of the Dáil on her election and a vacancy now exists in the constituency of Galway West, to be filled in accordance with law.”
A byelection in the offing? Deputies didn’t need Verona to tell them that (particularly the members of Independent Ireland, who have been talking up their candidate from the day of the election count).
The Ceann Comhairle wished president-elect Connolly every success in her new role – first in English and then in Irish.
Opposition leaders chimed in with their best wishes. All of them thrilled because they supported her – each believing their party contributed most to her victory.
Chambers of Commerce was extremely gracious, sincerely congratulating the former deputy “on behalf of the entire Government” for what was an “enormous” win.
“Catherine commanded a huge vote following a really successful campaign,” he smiled, bravely ignoring the embarrassing vote following a really catastrophic campaign masterminded by his own side.
“She will be a president that we can all unite behind and I wish her well as she commences her new role in the coming days.”
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It’s a miracle he wasn’t swept away by the silent tsunami of schadenfreude from across the floor where deputies, determinedly on their best behaviour, smothered growing grins and resisted the urge to laugh out loud.
Then again, it was a happy day of sorts too for the deputy leader of Fianna Fáil. The Ceann Comhairle’s announcement and Catherine Connolly’s departure might go some way towards bringing this painful situation to a close for Chambers of Commerce.
[ Former Fine Gael minister Ivan Yates no stranger to controversyOpens in new window ]
He was also in the happy position of not being one of the senior FF politicians who received media training from the former Fine Gael minister, former bookie and former bankrupt, Ivan Yates.
Some of them were on the front bench for Leaders’ Questions including Darragh O’Brien, Norma Foley, Dara Calleary and James Lawless. What a fab shop window to showcase the talents of Communications Coach Ivan.
The two most famous alumni of the Yates Academy were not there. The Taoiseach was on his way to the Amazon Delta while his ill-fated presidential election candidate, Jim Gavin, is down the Swanee river.
Nonetheless, there is still a lot of interest around Leinster House in the role played by the brash former minister in Fianna Fáil’s election training for the troops.
“Ivan Yates has not done any work for Fine Gael,” said a party spokesperson on Tuesday night, making sure they weren’t dragged any further into the drama.
Sinn Féin’s Padraig MacLochlainn was keen to get to the bottom of the arrangement.
“In three successive elections Fianna Fáil engaged and paid for media coaching services provided by broadcaster Ivan Yates,” he told Minister Chambers, “yet you failed to disclose this relationship even though there was a clear conflict of interest. You knew Ivan Yates was playing for your team, contributing to Fianna Fáil election strategy and then presenting himself as an independent commentator in the national media and you said nothing.”
And while Ivan should have disclosed his working relationship with Fianna Fáil, did Jack - who was Fianna Fáil’s director of elections for the presidential campaign - not see a responsibility to publicly declare this relationship?
Chambers of Commerce wasn’t having that.
“I absolutely refute and reject what you’re after saying there.”
He pointed out that all political parties and independent politicians avail of media training, and it was no secret that Ivan Yates worked with Fianna Fáil in recent years.
Then he threw the communications coach under the bus.
“It is a matter for Ivan Yates to disclose any potential or direct conflicts of interest in his interaction or contribution to media organisations or as a commentator.”
But back to the beginning, and all the goodwill in the House for one of their own who is now the president elect.
Independent Ireland’s leader Michael Collins tendered his best wishes but in a “Here’s your hat, what’s your hurry, Catherine?” sort of way.
“This will mean a byelection in Galway West” he pointed out, champing at the bit.
He wants it to be held “immediately”.
Their candidate is ready to go and “is working on the ground as we speak”.
True enough. Independent Ireland has been parading Cllr Noel Thomas about since it became clear that Catherine Connolly was going to win.
He was “on the ground” outside Leinster House before the start of business, plonked silently on the plinth beside his party colleagues as they did their usual weekly Q and A for the media.
“We have Cllr Noel Thomas here this morning,” trumpeted Michael. “I suppose, due to regulations in the Dáil, that Noel mightn’t be able to speak, but we can speak on his behalf today.”
In other words, we can pull a fast one.
As a non-elected representative (at the national level), Noel is certainly not allowed to speak to the media on the plinth, so he was sandwiched, front and centre, between his leader Michael and party chairman Ken O’Flynn and in front of the cameras.
“But certainly, Noel Thomas is Independent Ireland’s candidate, strong candidate” blustered Michael, waffling on before definitely declaring “but the bottom line here is that Cllr Thomas is Independent Ireland’s candidate.”
And the party “is proud to say” that he only lost the final seat in the general election by a handful of votes.
Brazen.
