EFFORTS to make our public representatives conform to a dress code while in the Dáil will have to wait a little longer.
The newbies, who have set the cat among the pigeons, were about to have their wings clipped when a proposal was sent by the ceann comhairle to the Dáil Committee on Procedures and Privileges which, if acted upon, would have seen the introduction of a dress code for all members of the house.
Over the past few months, independent TDs have been coming to work wearing … shock horror … denim or pink T-shirts, not to mention arriving tieless.
With the manner in which the Dáil is run, I thought this was a very smart move on behalf of the independent TDs.
By grouping together, they have managed to garner some speaking time on issues but, as solo members, what better way to get some much-needed publicity for a cause than to catch the eye of a press photographer on the way to work, or the TV camera in the Dáil chamber.
And it certainly has worked.
Ask Joe Public to name two or three backbench members of any of the mainstream political parties and, apart from his own constituency, I doubt if he would be able to do so.
Ask him to name a couple of independent TDs and I bet he would have no problem.
But on a more serious note, I think the failure to adopt a dress code also tells us how far Ireland, as a society, has come over the past 30 years.
For too long, we were more interested in preserving the image of an institution than ensuring it was doing the job it was supposed to do.
In the not-too-distant past, there has been wholesale abuse of power by some TDs and, for years, it was overlooked by a nod and a wink until it got too much for even the most ardent supporter to stomach.
There have been reforms but far more are needed, and if it means our public representatives will not waste time on such issues as dress code, then all the better.
The late Tony Gregory caused consternation when he first arrived in the Dáil.
He made a point of not wearing a tie, which sent a message that he was not afraid to challenge the establishment.
He had been doing it for years in his own constituency, which was among the first in the country to suffer the ravages of heroin.
Throughout his political career, Mr Gregory continued to campaign on behalf of his constituents, and they in turn continued to re-elect him.
If Seán Barrett is worried about the type of clothing some TDs are wearing, then he shouldn’t be.
If the rebels currently causing a bit of a stir don’t deliver the goods, it is a proven fact that, as independents, they stand a far higher chance of losing their seats when the next general election comes along.
In the meantime, I think it would be better for all concerned if minds were concentrated on getting the economy out of the mire it is current in and try to create job opportunities.
And while on that subject, I found it amazing that a call centre creating more than 250 jobs could be found for Waterford within a few months of the closure of Talk Talk, but nothing has been found for Carlow, despite the closure of industries such as the sugar factory, Braun, Läpple … the list goes on.
I also noticed another closure of a store in both the Fairgreen and Carlow Shopping Centres since the start of the New Year.
Let’s hope that is not a trend for the year to come.