I wish Deputy Martin well as the presumptive incoming Taoiseach. Today will likely be a proud day for him, his family and his supporters, and I acknowledge that. I also wish Deputy Harris, the outgoing Taoiseach and incoming Tánaiste, well. Increasingly, this feels like Groundhog Day, or groundhog week, not just with Deputies Martin and Harris swapping roles and not just with President Trump reinstalled in the White House, but because here in Ireland in recent weeks it has felt like we have been returning to the bad old days of stroke politics, of a-nod-and-a-wink politics, with Fianna Fáil back again in the driving seat. All we need now is the return of the Galway tent to complete the picture. This would be funny if it were not so serious.
Sentiment score: 0.39
I am very glad that we have reached agreement today and the Chief Whip read out an agreed form of words acknowledging what was a self-evident truth, namely, that a TD could not be in government and in opposition at the same time. That was the core democratic principle that we, across the Opposition, united on yesterday. The situation in the Dáil yesterday was deeply regrettable but it should never have come to that. This was a chaos of the Government's own making. I am glad that the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste reached out in the end and that we had a leaders' meeting this morning and were able to resolve things, as we had sought to do. It is important that we have done that and can move on because the Government has an important task. The success of this Government will be for the betterment of all in Irish society. Instead of going into a two-week recess, we should be convening the Dáil next week so that we can fulfil our constitutional duty to hold the Government to account from the Opposition benches. The Government should now be actively engaging in bringing about the change so badly needed by the communities that we all serve and represent. Change is desperately needed for the families facing eviction at the end of this month and for the 4,500 children now in homelessness. That is a source of shame for all of us. Change is also needed for the parents who cannot access autism supports or additional needs places for their children, for patients languishing on waiting lists and for all the young adults, whom we all know, who are booking one-way tickets to Australia because they see no life and no prospect of an affordable home here. Instead of working on the radical changes that are needed, Fianna Fáil, the junior coalition partner, Fine Gael, and, of course, the wobbly leg of the stool, the so-called regional group, are offering a 160-page programme for Government that essentially is promising more of the same. If you parse that document, there is no sense of any acceptance at all of a need for change. There is no indication as to how the Government will deliver on the few new commitments or aspirations set out. Indeed, many of the measures in the programme will see us going backwards. There is nothing there on how the Government is going to achieve the ramped-up delivery homes that we all know is so badly needed. Instead, we are seeing more outsourcing of housing. There is nothing to strengthen renters' rights. The Government has even ignored its own Housing Commission's recommendations. There is no sense here of a radical reset on housing policy. It is welcome that the climate targets are retained but no meaningful pathway is set out for how we achieve them. What is worse is the slashing of funds for cycling, public transport and sustainable transport in favour of building more roads.
Sentiment score: -0.03
As Trump might say, "Roads, baby, roads." That is what we are going to see from this Government.
Sentiment score: 0.00
Members of the Government have buried their heads in the sand when it comes to the impact of data centres and left the door wide open for polluting LNG. It seems the private sector will continue to be relied on to deliver essential public services like childcare while workers' rights are only getting derisory treatment. The Government has abandoned initiatives such as drug policy reform and the citizens' assembly on the future of education. There is nothing to reassure us about how we will face the threat of Trump's dangerous tariff plans. There is only lukewarm prospects, at best, in the programme for achieving the necessary passage of the vital occupied territories Bill that we have all united on. In short, the programme for Government is not up to the task. There is no sense of urgency about tackling the crises that face us in housing, climate and disability services. We are seeing no vision and a regressive set of policies. It is not only the policies that are regressive, but also the practise of politics. We do not even know what constituency deals were done with, or sidebar commitments made to, the "Lowry lads". Those deals do not appear in the text of this programme. Let us be clear, in that many people were deeply uncomfortable, given his history, about the involvement of Deputy Lowry in the negotiation of the programme for Government. Many people are very concerned, remembering when Deputy Martin described Deputy Lowry as a "rogue politician" and called on him to resign his seat. People despair that the highest standard to which Deputy Martin can aim is an assurance that a leading negotiator of the programme for Government will "not be in government to do any corruption", as if that were something to boast about.
Sentiment score: -0.05
To compound the discomfort that so many of us feel, the Lowry leg of the stool was, until today, intent upon pulling off an old-style political trick by setting up in government, having secured Ministries and commitments, and also in opposition, making a mockery of our democratic process. Bertie may not be back but grubby deals are, and this looks like such a deal. I am glad that we have now secured a commitment from the Chief Whip and the Government leaders that we will see this matter resolved with the agreement of both the Government and the Opposition. That is important and welcome. We in the Labour Party stand for a different kind of politics than those in government in our policies and practise of politics. We have a proud track record of high ethical standards for our public representatives of transparency and integrity in our political practice and work. We have a strong political vision for change. Our vision is for the creation of an active State that can and will deliver for communities on housing, climate, care and work. That is the programme we stood for in the election and it is the programme we will be working to achieve over the course of this Dáil, even from opposition, along with others on the left with whom we share a common vision. We want to see this Government building affordable homes, protecting our climate, defending the rights of children, ending child poverty, ensuring timely access to healthcare, guaranteeing decency at work and using the machinery of the State to drive down household bills. We want to see a Government that will support integration and stand firm against the politics of hate and the politics of the far right.
Sentiment score: 0.41
As we always have, we in the Labour Party will work constructively from opposition with those who share our vision to achieve the change that we believe in over the course of this Government. We will hold the Government to account, fiercely and fairly, with integrity and transparency, as we have always done. I look forward to the challenge ahead.
Sentiment score: 0.39