The Dail Dawn Chorus

Could've been in the back garden with a good book

I drove back to Dublin from the midlands on Wednesday thinking I’d never been as hot at mid-day in Italy. Having *filed my copy* to the Indo (so love saying that) I made my way into the Dail for what was to be the night of #lapgate and the #Daildawnchorus. 

When I arrived in Kildare Street the sitting was adjourned for two hours and, damn, I had nobody to meet, it was way too sunny to go inside so I found myself engrossed in watching the protesters from a safe distance. It wasn’t very comfortable to be honest, seeing these two factions being kept in line by the Gardai, shouting Father Ted slogans at each other. This is supposed to be about dignity for women, not a side show. A crowd gathered around my side of the street, the army was mobilising from the well-funded, expensively t-shirted campaign group. It was time to retreat to the dark depths of Buswells and have a *healthy* salad and chips. What on earth was I doing in the city centre on a sunny Wednesday evening alone in Buswells? There is a back garden and a good book as an option, Mad Ted. I realised I was in deep; and deeply committed to changing something if I can. Changing a man-made law that would ease the trauma on women and men of a double tragedy.

The vote on the Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill was supposed to be decided by 10pm, it was extended until 2am and while I sat in the gallery, I heard a furore from the benches and a bluster from Gerry Adams. The doors opened, all and sundry piled in, most interesting was the press gallery, the narrow overhang filled to the brim, 21 journo’s jammed in a row. The doyenne, Miriam Lord, took her seat, delightful Lise Hand beside her. The silver glint of David McCullagh’s hair flashed in the harsh light. David Davin Power nestled between the smart glossy locked girls from the other papers.

The majority decided to extend the vote until 5am. There was a quick exodus, I checked my Dublin Bus App and went home. I assumed they were all having late committee meetings elsewhere, perhaps a nap on a trolley in the corridor, provided by Minister Reilly. They could hardly be drinking in the bar with such a serious issue going on? Drinking at work?

Back home, with the magic of Twitter I discovered the live link to the chamber, much to my amazement I actually watched until 5am. I looked outside, shocked, I haven’t been up ‘til that hour without revellers in my house trying to find the stash of duty free sambuca or whatever remained from the old days, me hoping they wouldn’t wake the sleeping children, who by now were revelling somewhere themselves. Plus ca change.

Well, at least I’d enough to write about for the Irish Times next day and, surprisingly, a radio interview with the lovely Matt Cooper. On Friday evening, I sat in FM104 with an ice bucket of cool beers and baskets of tortilla chips in view, times have changed since I worked in a *real office*. As I waited to go into studio I stuck my tongue in my broken tooth, chipped during the Dail Chorus by a diversionary caramel, for once, I wished I was in a dentist’s waiting room. It’s awful having to recall a very unhappy time, again and again. 

In between Druids and Dail Debates, I'm interviewing new tenants for landladyhouse. Stalwart gentleman lodger #1 is still with me, just trying to find someone to match him.

Debate Deadline before Dail Rises

Slick and Colourful

I could win a pub trivia quiz on Oireachtas members by now, especially the courageous rural representatives.

Enda and Michéal were sparring over the #anglotapes and blaming each other like the cost centres do when the TV doesn’t work because they’ve unplugged scarts, hdmls/whatever cables for playstation or xBox. There’s no den now with gentlemen lodgers in residence. I had quite a rant when I found a blank screen and couldn’t catch up with Vincent Browne and his hissy fits.

I arrived at Dail Question Time yesterday morning, invited by the Termination for Medical Reasons (TFMR) group. John Halligan, Waterford TD was requesting the Taoiseach to add an amendment to the Bill to include Fatal Foetal Abnormality.

The chamber hushed as he spoke. It’s a subject on which the members daren’t scream or throw abuse at each other. Deputy Halligan indicated the group of women in the gallery, as a latecomer I was seated amongst a group of strangers. He spoke of the crisis of conscience some members were having on the Bill and reiterated that 1,500 women endure the traumatic news that their baby won’t live, each year in Ireland. 80% of those women travel abroad rather than prolong the agony. They too have a crisis of conscience. Every day four devastated couples receive this terrible news.

He spoke of one woman who could not attend, her story was so traumatic I would not repeat it here.

I was very, very disappointed with the Taoiseach’s response. His tone had all the gravitas of someone who gave a damn, but it was nothing but clotted cream going sour. He spoke of a woman he knew who chose to carry the baby with fatal foetal abnormality to term, to hold it as it died, and the comfort that it gave her. She is lucky she had the choice to do that. Why didn’t he care enough to talk to a woman who had to make the other choice? And listen. If I hear the word compassion again from a naysayer… *breathe* 

Hmmm. Excuse the twitter creep into these latter posts, it’s a cross pollination, please bear with me, while I adjust from the 140 character space into the rambling blog arena.

Afterwards, at a press conference chaired by Richard Boyd Barrett over in Buswells, the speakers included Sarah and James from TFMR who have both experienced separate traumatic experiences, including having the ashes of their babies couriered home to them in an envelope *deep breathe*.

I noticed Fiach Mac Conghail sitting at the front and wondered what the director of the Abbey Theatre was doing there. When he spoke, I realised, of course he is a senator and, significantly, the Taoiseach’s nominee. He said he was there to bear witness and decried the ‘debasement of women’ through the present legislation.

Joe Higgins pointed out that the Ceann Chomhairle cannot block the proposal of an amendment at debate stage, so it will be raised.

Senator Averil Power quoted my case, D v Ireland 2006, and on the basis of the State’s defence, she anticipated the legislation will go to the Supreme Court.

Roisin Shortall was at pains to tell me that what the Attorney General says, goes. I thought it was just the pope who was infallible. I know that every point can be argued several ways, which is what happened in D v Ireland and Miss D v HSE argued by the same barrister, Gerard Hogan, now a judge.

I asked John Halligan what was the realistic chance of getting the amendment added, at least he and his cross party colleagues were unanimous in stating that they would not stop until it was legislated for.

Outside in the sunshine, I noticed some pretty young girls and a young man holding placards outside the Dáil, nothing strange about that these days. Except it is usually the aged and disenfranchised who do their best to seek attention on that stretch of footpath. They were tall, healthy, slim women with touches of natural make-up; two wore a striking Chanel rouge lipstick. A woman with her back turned was walking up and down the line as if she was a choir mistress, getting them to repeat their lines.

I thought, ‘this is the time to talk, to ask some questions,’ I crossed the road and approached the young woman with the placard ‘Doesn’t Save Lives’ on it and tried to ask her what it meant, as we know a woman died because she was denied a termination last October in Galway. I was whisked away by the choir mistress, ‘I’ll talk to you,’ she urged.

‘But I want to ask that girl what she thinks’, I protested.

There was absolutely no way I could be allowed talk to the fembots holding the actual placards. I use that term because they were being treated like that by their leader. I had a reasonable conversation with her until she said ‘research shows women who terminate in the case of FFA suffer more trauma’ in calm tones I responded,

(1)  There is no research in Ireland on that subject.

(2)  The trauma is because they are told to leave the hospital and the country

(3)  You don’t need the rest repeated.

This woman was well trained in obfuscation, interruption and deployment of questions; I’m not convinced the women holding the placards could speak English.

At the funeral this morning of a very special old lady who died suddenly on Sunday, I was taken aback to hear the priest preach on the same subject from the altar, seeking guidance for the legislators on this Bill. This was the final farewell opportunity of her family and friends, a time to contemplate her life and show respect, but the *church* saw fit to use the opportunity for a campaign manifesto.

R.I.P.