There is usually an Order of Business and for the Cathaoirleach to cancel it peremptorily is very unusual and an affront to democracy.
Business of Seanad
There was an Order of Business and the time had expired. The time set for the Order of Business is 55 minutes.
It had not expired.
It had expired.
It was the time the Cathaoirleach set for a sos that caused it to expire.
On a point of order, the Leader did not respond to the Order of Business.
May we hear the Leader’s response to the Order of Business, please? It is a matter of the ordinary process of the business of the House.
The Order of Business was not concluded.
I have ruled on the matter.
The Leader’s response does not eat into the time allocated for the Order of Business. We demand the Leader’s response to the truncated Order of Business. Can we hear it, please?
The Order of Business was concluded.
Can the Leader propose an amendment to the Order of Business to allow him to speak for a few minutes and address the issues raised earlier?
It really is outrageous to have an Order of Business and for the Cathaoirleach not to permit the Leader to reply. That is an abuse of democracy. I am asking the Cathaoirleach to use his experience and wisdom to permit the Leader to reply.
The Order of Business was concluded.
That does not matter. The Leader should reply. The Cathaoirleach is censoring the Leader of the House. That is very dangerous.
There was a lot of disorder.
The Leader did not want to respond to the Order of Business.
It is a disgrace.