‘Shut up and listen,’ Tánaiste tells Fianna Fáil in Dáil row

There were sharp exchanges in the Dáil in a row over mortgage interest rates when Tánaiste Joan Burton told Fianna Fáil's Barry Cowen he should "shut up", listen and "lay off the histrionics" if he wanted an answer.

She also reminded the Dáil that Wednesday was the fifth anniversary of the day Fianna Fáil "brought the troika into Ireland". She also poked fun at the party over comments that it was likely to go into opposition after the election if it was not the largest party in any new coalition.

Raising the issue of mortgage rates, Mr Cowen said Irish banks were charging 2 per cent more than the EU average EU and this was the reason they were now making money.

Ms Burton said a lot of banks have, in the past number of years, been offering customers deals which would actually improve interest rates for them.

It is important that people might see better deals that have been and are available to change for better terms, she said.

But Mr Cowen had reminded Ms Burton of her comments earlier this year when the high Irish interest rates were highlighted.

He noted she had said the banks would be “extremely wise to look at their corporate responsibility” in relation to the rates and if they failed to take action the Government had other avenues to address this.

“You came out with your spin and empathy that you’re very competent at,” he said.

And hitting out at her reference to Fianna Fáil and the troika, he asked: “Do you want to refer to the last government in every answer you give?

Mr Cowen claimed Ms Burton’s response was “more of the Tesco ad material you’re getting ready for the next election”.

Rounding on him, the Tánaiste claimed Fianna Fáil was “not in the game at all” in reference to comments by party director of elections Billy Kelleher that they would “probably” go into opposition if they were not the largest group in any new coalition.

Deriding the party strategy, to repeated interruptions, Ms Burton described the announcement as “fitting”.

It was a case of “by the way lads, we’re taking our ball and leaving the field” and that even before the election , the party was saying “you’re not going into government”, she said.

Amid another wave of roars and heckling from the opposition benches, Ms Burton said “anger isn’t a policy” and claimed Fianna Fáil was only interested in “making some hay and cheap political capital”.

“There’s enough histrionics from you at the moment to fill the Abbey theatre. So lay off,” she said. “If you want an answer you’ll just have to shut up for a while and listen.”

Leas Cheann Comhairle Micheál Kitt then ruled that the Tánaiste’s time for answering the question was up.