THE 31ST Dáil is a very different place from any of its predecessors, and at times it is difficult to distinguish between the various voices on the Opposition benches.
On numbers alone, a much diminished Fianna Fáil can still claim to lead the Opposition – but in terms of noise and output, Sinn Féin has proved more effective.
The party has five fewer deputies than Fianna Fáil but its overall input into Dáil proceedings is often more telling and media-savvy.
The strength of its leadership derives from its mix of old and young and the fact that, for the first time, the party has its leader in the chamber. In the last Dáil, Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin was the Sinn Féin leader in the Dáil, while Gerry Adams, the party president, was still based in Belfast.
Adams has struggled to adapt to the rhythms of Leinster House and the nitty-gritty of Southern politics, but in the eyes of most observers, his performance improved as the year progressed.
He’s still more likely to deal in generalities but his one-liners are picked up frequently by the media.
His penchant for bilingualism is both admirable and irritating. Some TDs have been heard complaining of condescension after listening to Adams repeat in English what he has just told the Dáil in Irish. Besides, they point out, his Irish is inferior to that of Enda Kenny and the other party leaders.
Sinn Féin’s finance spokesman, Pearse Doherty (right), has been the party’s star turn since the election, speaking with a fluency and confidence that belies his 34 years. Less austere in person than his public persona would indicate, Doherty sometimes seems stuck permanently in angry mode. His mastery of a complex brief is assured, but the challenge for him in the next year will be to develop the party’s economic policies in a way that will attract broader support.
Mary Lou McDonald, as vice-president, has proved an effective stand-in for Adams during Leaders’ Questions, and is a fluent media performer.
Other rising stars include Peadar Tóibín, the first Sinn Féin chairman of a Dáil committee, as well as Cork deputies Sandra McLellan and Jonathan O’Brien.