It was on this date in 1919 that the First Dáil met for only the third time. It was an historic day, with the confirmation of a new Ceann Comhairle and the election of a new President of the Dáil, then Éamon de Valera. It also led to the creation of a new Government, and Ireland's second Ministry was formed, with the likes of Michael Collins, Arthur Griffith, W.T. Cosgrave, Constance Markievicz, Cathal Brugha, Count Plunkett and Eoin MacNeill. It should bring home for us the value of our democracy that the meetings of the First Dáil were limited because so many were imprisoned, and there was a genuine fear of arrest in a climate of escalating confrontation. These men and women served our country with courage and distinction, and they got on with the work of making Ireland free, independent and a better place to live. The position of Ceann Comhairle was created at that Dáil's first meeting in the Mansion House on 21 January 1919. Those who have held the office of Ceann Comhairle have presided over the 34 Dáileanna that have served our people since. This should remind us all of the importance of our history, of parliamentary democracy and the role that this House has played over many decades, especially at moments of crisis and national and global challenge. It should remind us too of the need to respect the office of Ceann Comhairle in presiding over this Chamber over that long history and in the circumstances that face us today. As a country, we are fortunate to have a political tradition that has largely left us well placed to form stable Governments which serve their terms with a working majority. In more recent years, we have demonstrated Government stability with new arrangements such as confidence and supply and the rotation of the office of An Taoiseach. Just as the political arrangements of government have changed and evolved over time, so too have the Dáil's Standing Orders since they were first adopted in 1922. They are updated and amended almost always at the start of each term of the Dáil, and it is only right and proper that we reflect on amendments that are needed to ensure all Members rights are respected in the changing shape and composition of each Dáil. At the time of the last general election, it is fair to say that Ireland bucked international trends by returning a result which, relatively quickly, allowed a majority of Members of our national Parliament to form a stable Government made up by Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil with the support of Independent TDs.
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I want to put on the record of this House that it was also in good faith that we engaged constructively and respectfully in government formation talks with both the Labour Party and the Social Democrats, and I thank them for that engagement. I do not believe there are policy differences which we were not prepared to negotiate on, but obviously I respect the decisions of both these parties to not enter Government on this occasion. We must have a Government - a Government which functions effectively and in the interests of our people. That is the imperative after the people have their say on election day. That Government must then be accountable to Dáil Éireann, and we must move forward with the people's business in solving problems, finding solutions and passing and scrutinising important legislation in the Dáil, Seanad and Oireachtas committees. It is now surely incumbent on us all to get on with the work. It is my firm conviction that the message of the people from the last election and of people across Ireland in the last week is to stop shouting, roaring and hollering at each other, to turn up for work and to get on with the job. We need to see delivery in so many areas.
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We must work together-----
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Before the Deputies shout at me, maybe they should wait to hear my next sentence, because I was about to say that I think and hope many in the Opposition share this view, that we should work together on the big issues of our time. We should work together on housing and on disability services.
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That is what the public want to see. Shout me down if you wish, but that is what the public want.
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You are.
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It is time to listen to listen to each other. It is time to work in the best interests of the people who send us here and pay your wages and mine.
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To meet the goals that we share, we must have a strong - it is not sounding great for cross-party co-operation, but anyway - and stable economy. We stand here this afternoon on the precipice of a moment of extraordinary economic turbulence globally. We had a report last week from the ESRI, which estimated more than 80,000 jobs in the Irish economy could be at risk. There are people who got up this morning, regardless of who they voted for in the general election, who have gone out and done a day's work and are genuinely worried as they return home this evening. They are worried about the uncertainty in the economy, what tomorrow might bring and the impact it might have on their job, their family and their ability to pay the mortgage. Yet, against that very stark backdrop, we are standing in Dáil Éireann, not discussing that this evening-----
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-----but debating a confidence motion. Do not shout me down, again. Stop now.
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We are debating a confidence motion, one which everybody inside and outside this House knows will only have one outcome.
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We know Sinn Féin has a record of putting party interests before national interest. I am sorry to see other Opposition parties going down that same populist route.
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At a time of crisis, this national parliament has a duty to show leadership to the country. I recall the unity we have found in this House in moments of crisis and economic challenge. We came together and pulled together during Covid-19 and the Brexit times. The context we now face is a potential global trade war, which will not be without consequence for Ireland. I have every confidence that this country will work its way through it, but it will require a co-ordinated and sustained effort in the vein of our response to Brexit. That is why this morning I updated Cabinet on the potential economic impact for our country ahead of the expected decision of President Trump to announce and introduce tariffs on EU counties, including Ireland, from as early as tomorrow. In advance of even seeing the detail, it is regrettable, because it seeks to fundamentally alter the trade relationship between the EU and the United States. It is regrettable because we know tariffs are bad for consumers. They push up the cost of doing business and the cost of goods, and we have built successful economies on both sides of this Atlantic Ocean on the basis of trading goods with each other. Ireland will need to take a calm, measured and strategic approach. We will need to work in solidarity and unity with our European colleagues. We cannot control what President Trump does, but we can control what we control. We can use our influence to put forward Ireland's interests along with other member states. That is the work we need to do together. Every single one of us, all 174 of us, were elected by the people to do a job and it is high time we got on with that job. We need to get the Oireachtas committees up and running so that the elected Members of this House can scrutinise legislation that may well be required, and, most importantly, can make recommendations on how to improve that legislation so we can have the best possible outcome. The Leas-Cheann Comhairle will know this from his time as a Chair, in my experience, Oireachtas committees have always shown the best side of politics, where people do somewhat set aside their partisan differences and try to work together and tease through the issues. For my part, the part of my party and this Government, we want to work constructively with Deputies on all sides of the House. The Opposition knows that, because as recently as last week, while the shouting and roaring was going on this House, I invited leaders of the Opposition to come to a briefing with my Department officials specifically on the issue of trade and tariffs, suggested by Deputy Bacik. We will be providing further updates on a regular basis as we need to pull together. This is a moment. The hard reality is dawning. The time for shouting, whooping and hollering is over. We need to put our shoulder to the wheel-----
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-----and we need to push in one direction. I want to work with everybody on all sides of this House. There is no monopoly on good ideas. We need constructive ideas and proposals. I firmly believe that every politician who puts his or her name on a ballot paper and got elected to this House deserves to have his or her voice heard. Deciding to enter public life is not easy; it means long hours, time away from one's family and a high tolerance for criticism. Politics is probably the most denigrated profession in the country, and I have always felt this was unfair, because I firmly believe the vast majority of people enter public life for the right reasons. Every day, we are fortunate to come in to this House and represent, to the best of our ability, the public who elected us. We do so knowing that the atmosphere may become charged, debates may become difficult and party politics can sometimes take precedence. However, there is another group of people who have the honour and responsibility of standing alongside us in this Chamber and this House, without whom this place would simply not function, namely, the Clerk of the Dáil, his team, the ushers in this House and the many officials who work in Leinster House. Last week, they went about their work with diligence and were subjected to a bitter and aggressive cacophony and an atmosphere of hostility and anger. It was utterly unacceptable and embarrassing, and I call on those who engaged in such behaviour to apologise to the staff of this House, who, in the words of the Clerk, endured a very "difficult" day. Separately, we had the appalling situation where ushers had to intervene between two Members of this House. It is not good enough; it is not what the people expect from us. We can disagree, but never should Dáil Éireann descend to the levels of disrespect and discourtesy which have been on display in recent times. We are letting ourselves collectively down. The Ceann Comhairle was elected to do a job, without fear or favour. Not so long ago, the Opposition sought the Ceann Comhairle's intervention in a moment of dispute. She intervened and found in the Opposition's favour.
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Calm down, again.
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The Ceann Comhairle then oversaw a subsequent debate for 20 hours at a Dáil reform committee. A proposal was put to a vote at the committee. It was approved by a majority, which is how democracy works.
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This time, the Opposition-----
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This time, the Opposition did not like the result. What did it do? It comes for the Ceann Comhairle's head. This is straight out of a populist playbook. If you do not like the answer, attack a person's integrity and motive, and inevitably seek his or her head. Fine Gael has had differences with the Ceann Comhairle over the years - they are well documented - and I am sure we will again. However, we respect her mandate and the difficult job she has to do. This is a democracy. This is Dáil Éireann; it is our national Parliament. I hope, once and for all, when this confidence motion is voted on, the outcome of which is clear to the dogs on the street, we can get on with actually doing the business of serving the people of this country because there is no more time to waste.
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