Out-Foxing

At the time of the abolition of the dual mandate, Mildred Fox colourfully explained to the Dail why being a TD and a Councillor were reconcilable. She said that, since the council met for just six hours a month, it took up "less time than Coronation Street." Her contribution to Dail debate since then has taken up less time than one episode of Coronation Street.

She has spent less than fifteen minutes speaking in the Dail since being elected for the third time as an Independent TD in 2002, that is an average of five minutes per year over the last three years. She has made few appearances in the media, one of her biggest being on a television afternoon show for a makeover. And it would not be unreasonable to ask, "Is she still a TD?"

So what has happened to the young ambitious politician who opposed the introduction of the Local Government Bill in the lifetime of the last government, who persistently called for an abortion referendum and who confronted Tony Blair about Sellafield nuclear reactor plant?

Two things. Firstly, the support of independents was not needed by the Fianna Fail/Progressive Democrat coalition after the last general election. Secondly, because of the abolition of the dual mandate, she is no longer a councillor. She says, "It's frustrating."

Having been a crucial part in the last government, she is now confined to silence in the backbench. "Last term I had a bit of clout, but now it's far more difficult to deliver things. Not only is it harder to make a difference, but is also hard to maintain a profile on the national stage."

When she had to give up her local council seat in Wicklow, she lost a vital link with her constituents. "I am at a huge disadvantage now with not having a seat on the local council. When I was on the council, my constituents turned to me for everything. But there is a perception that the Dail does not deal with local issues, and that you have to be on the council to get anything done at a local level."

But luckily for Ms Fox her brother, Christopher, took her seat in the last council elections. "My constituents are just beginning to recognise that they have a connection to me through my brother, and that I can deal with local issues on their behalf in the Dail."

Ironically, a lot of what she has to say is about not being allowed to speak at all. She has to ask the main parties to borrow speaking time in the Dail and frequently begins her speeches with, "I thank the Government for giving me the time to speak," and, "I welcome the opportunity to say a few words".

She has consistently called for reform of the way the Dail operates; "Reform of the Dail was promised before the last election, but nothing has happened since. Just because I am not part of any political group, I do not get as much time as other deputies to speak. All 166 of us are elected in the same way, so we should be treated equally."

Although her support is no longer critical to the Government's majority, she still meets regularly with a member of the Taoiseach's staff. "We discuss every bit of legislation coming up. We don't have a whip to support us so if the Government needs our support he has to tell us what is going on."

But she says the Government does not heed the independents as much as it did between 1997 and 2002. "It has come close on a few votes when our support was needed, but the Government doesn't really rely on us too much."

Do these meetings suggest the Government is placing an each-way bet on its relationship with the Progressive Democrats, leaving the door open to the independents? "I don't think its going to happen, and if it does, there is no guarantee that we would give our support to the Government, we would have to talk about it," she says.

In the last election Ms Fox held onto her seat by 19 votes, ahead of Labour's Nicky Kelly. Her constituency will be different next time because it now has a minister, Dick Roche, and the Fianna Fail TD, Jo Jacob, will be retiring. But Nicky Kelly is expected to challenge the seat next time and might be the biggest obstacle in her way. "It'll be tight alright," she admits, "If I'm going to lose I'm going to lose to labour."

Mildred's late father, Johnny Fox, started his career as a Fianna Fail councillor. But she insists that her days as an independent are not numbered and she won't be returning to her late father's one time political home. But giving her support to Fianna Fail in the event of a falling out of the coalition is something that's "never far from