It was the kind of speech an angry academic might make. The Minister for the Environment rounded on his Fianna Fail colleagues, saying the word politician was now synonymous with everything that was "tacky and toxic". It had to change, he insisted. They had to tear themselves away from the "craven focus on the parish pump".
You could imagine TDs and Senators shrugging around the country. That was Noel. He had tried to force them to give up their county council seats and got his come-uppance from the four Independents who keep the Government in power. Tough.
Relations between the Minister and some Fianna Fail backbenchers have become poison ous because of his reforming zeal. They objected strenuously to the separation of national and local politics. And when their support of Jackie HealyRae, Harry Blaney, Tom Gildea and Mildred Fox led to the Cabinet abandoning the project - and humiliating Mr Dempsey - they were quietly delighted.
That delight turned to fury when the Minister, supported by the Progressive Democrats, said national politicians would not be paid for their council work. They would forgo about £10,000 in newlyawarded salaries, but would still be allowed to claim expenses.
Mr Dempsey was seriously ill with a viral infection when his Cabinet colleagues decided it couldn't afford to risk the wrath of its Independent supporters. The stability of the Government took precedence.
However, the Minister hasn't given up. At present, he told the Humbert Summer School, roughly 70 per cent of what TDs were asked to do were things local councillors were in a position to do. TDs should be told "that's not only not your job, but the State is paying someone else to do that job. Your job is quite different and you must get on with it".
Mr Dempsey could have been complaining to his Cabinet colleagues. Short-term interests had been allowed to prevail, and his reforming plans had been consigned to the waste bin.
It's not just local government reform that has gone off the tracks. The Minister's reputation has taken a beating on a range of other issues. Waste management, road development, water quality and environment protection have all seen bright promises crumble to dust. Local TDs and Senators joined in the criticism of central government.
As a result, there is a growing shortage of landfill sites. The first incinerator has yet to be built, despite a decision to do so in 1996. Investment in recycling procedures is at pathetic levels.
The building programme of the National Roads Authority is running more than a year behind schedule in some areas. Farming organisations are demanding a doubling of compensation for their members.
Failure to protect water quality can also be traced to a reluctance to confront farmers. And the need for environment protection has increased tensions between local communities and central government.
Some days before Mr Dempsey's outburst, the Minister for the Marine, Mr Fahey, castigated objectors to infra structural development in the west, especially in relation to the upgrading of the ESB network and the development of a gas refinery and pipeline. Recognising the supine behaviour of his colleagues, he predicted if there was an election tomorrow, there would be a doubling of Independent/Sinn Fein seats, to six, along the western seaboard.
Mr Dempsey's message was equally simple. In government, Fianna Fail couldn't run with the hare and hunt with the hound. Members had to adopt a broader vision that encompassed the common good.
The Minister didn't mention it but, without such a change, his own reputation as a man who can get things done will evaporate.