While most of the political chatter this week is of cabinet appointments, the return of the Dáil tomorrow marks a new era for Laois TD Brian Stanley.
While the Dáil did sit for one day in December following the General Election, it was the first day back.
Now they’re down to business and even if there will be a party mood of sorts with the unveiling of new ministers, Wednesday’s sitting will be the first of 2025 as the TDs get back into the rhythm of daily political life without an election in the pipeline.
For Brian Stanley, who experienced a turbulent 2024 and a controversial exit from Sinn Féin, he is now back in Leinster House, as an Independent TD, the first to represent the Laois constituency (or Laois-Offaly) in the best part of 80 years.
He will no longer sit with his former party colleagues in Sinn Féin and in order to have speaking rights, he is part of a technical group that includes a selection of other Independents and the three representatives from People Before Profit.
“Here nearly 14 years now,” he told LaoisToday before Christmas on the first day back in the Dáil.
“It’s a great honour to be elected by the people of Laois. It’s their seat, it doesn’t belong to any of us. It’s a great honour for them to select me to represent them for the fourth time in the Dáil.
“It was very enjoyable,” he said of that election campaign that saw him take the third seat in Laois, despite the vote splitting to some extent between him and Sinn Féin candidate Maria McCormack.
“Obviously the vote was going to be more fragmented because of the circumstances but I think looking at it I did very well and what was very interesting was the number of Number 2s that I got, a huge number of Number 2 votes from other candidates which meant that I came in very comfortably in the end.
“I’m very relieved now to be coming back as an Independent. The only boss I have is the people of Laois.
“I’m part of a Technical Group, I’m not tied to anybody else’s policies, I’m not tied to any group policies. I vote whatever way I want on each issue as it comes up and I’ll be voting in the interests of Laois people and ordinary citizens and nobody else.”
Not being part of a party will be a big change to him?
“It’ll be less time taken up with a lot of nonsense,” he says.
“But I want to dedicate myself to representing the people of Laois hopefully for the length of time that the Dáil lasts. If it runs full term of four or five years that would be great.
“We are destined to have a very conservative, fairly right wing government. Probably one of the most right wing governments in the state since Champagne Charlie (Haughey) was here with the PDs.
“There needs to be a strong opposition in place to hold that government to account. To raise the issues that might not be raised otherwise in the chamber.
“I’m involved in what’s called the Independents and Parties group.
“It means that each of us can vote whatever way we want to. There is no whip. It is only a group to get speaking time and equal division of speaking time. I’m very satisfied with how that is working out.”
The other members in the group are: Seamus Healy from Tipperary, Charles Ward from Donegal, Catherine Connolly from Galway, and the People Before Profit trio of Richard Boyd-Barrett, Paul Murphy and Ruth Coppinger.
“They will vote whatever way they want. I will vote whatever way I want. The only people I’m responsible to now are the people of Laois.”
