Mayor Larkin all at sea as Crowe pirates attack

Noel Larkin is out of his depth as city mayor. So say his political foes, the Crowe Bros, Ollie and Michael John.

In fairness, the Fianna Fáil city councillors have a point, if last Thursday morning’s special meeting is a barometer.

Poor Noeleen was all at sea, as the Crowe pirates circled with menacing intent. The special meeting was called to discuss traffic chaos, but it was chaos of another sort that ensued.

The ruling pact (FG, Lab and Independents) didn’t want the meeting to proceed; Fianna Fáil, Sinn Féin and Collette Connolly were determined that it would.

Pádraig Conneely (FG) proposed a motion that put the brakes on it.

But not before councillors spent the guts of half an hour discussing whether they should discuss the traffic problem before deferring the debate to discuss another day.

It was all rather childish, in keeping with what we have become accustomed to at City Hall.

Maybe the 10am early start threw him, but Mayor Larkin was especially feeble in the chair.

Instead of putting a bit of smacht on members, on several occasions he threatened to abandon the meeting, and at least two times he conceded he could not control proceedings.

“If this meeting gets out of control, I’ll call it off,” he warned early on.

Later, as councillors continued to speak over each other, and interject and bicker, Mayor Larkin sighed: “This meeting is going nowhere . . . I can’t control this meeting.”

It was as if he’d given up. If he’d a white flag, he would have raised it.

Imagine a teacher telling unruly pupils he’d walk out of the classroom if they don’t stop acting the bollix? It only invites further mutiny. And that’s what happened.

Ollie roared at Noel to chair the meeting, and to stop allowing Pádraig to dictate proceedings.

But it was Mike who really stuck the boot in.

“You don’t understand Standing Orders,” he fumed, before accusing Noel of being “inefficient, lost” and showing “no leadership” on the traffic debacle.

Mike proposed an amendment to a motion. “That’s under Standing Orders, if you were familiar with them,” he said condescendingly to the mayor.

Noeleen tried to fight back.

“I take major objection to the insults coming my way,” he said. A dead sheep would have done more damage.

“Your objection is noted,” snorted Mike indignantly, with a sour puss on him, like he had just smelt dog-do.

Collette stuck her oar in, too.

“Do you not want to talk about traffic?”

Noel didn’t. The meeting was deferred, and the ruling pact scurried to the exit doors.

Ollie kept going, though, even after the meeting had finished.

“You’re the most inept mayor that ever served the city . . . you’re a disgrace,” he roared.

For more, read this week's  Galway City Tribune.