I thank Teachta Farrell and Teachta Doherty for this nomination. Government, of course, is not about one individual but the person elected as Taoiseach, their politics, their priorities and their values undoubtedly shape the future of the country. The Taoiseach and, by extension, the Government, must lead from the front and by example, demonstrate in word and deed that the public interest comes first, demonstrate courage and humility, honour their word, act with strong spirit and in good faith, mean what you say, and keep promises. These, I believe, are the cornerstones of leadership. What happened here yesterday was the result of arrogant manoeuvring from Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, and Michael Lowry TDs. I am not happy with what transpired and the fact that the Dáil was repeatedly suspended, but I am resolute in the stance that we as the Opposition took. We stood to defend a very simple but very important principle that no TD can be in government and in opposition at the same time. We pushed back against a brazen attempt to stymie, to silence and to sabotage the Opposition. We collectively represent hundreds of thousands of people-----

Sentiment score: 0.10

-----and any attempt to railroad us will be met head on without fear or hesitation. We will stand our ground and we will always stand up for those who depend on us to fight their corner. The people of Ireland have worked hard and the State now has unprecedented wealth and resources: everything needed to build a fair and equal society. The State has never been richer but so many of our people - working people - are left behind. I grew up in Dublin in the 1980s and things were tough but never in my worst nightmares did I think that the soul of our city would carry the weight of so many sleeping bags in doorways, cardboard boxes for shelter, tents lining our canals, and homeless hubs as refuge for so many families. The housing and homeless crisis crystallises the unfair society that all of you have created. Working people go to soup kitchens, families struggle for the basics, children wait in agony for life-changing operations, and trolleys line overcrowded hospitals. Why is it that in a country that is so wealthy nothing seems to work? The answer is "Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael". You have no excuses left. The resources are there yet your programme for Government is simply a charter for more of the same and a blueprint for further crises. You have no clear plans to deliver on childcare or to change the lives of low and middle-income workers, there is no clear timeline to address the issues for carers, and there is only a passing interest in the future of our country and the reunification of our island. All you have is a selection of promises, promises that have all been made before and promises that have all been broken before. This is an incredible country. We have the best of people in communities but our communities and people have been let down for generations by bad government for whom the achievement and maintenance of power has been the first priority. The Government normalised the division between the haves and have-nots. You have delivered for the insiders but short-changed working people again and again. Our motivation remains that one day in the not too distant future we will have a government for working people, a government that ensures that people have a home, that they can see a doctor when they are sick, that childcare is affordable and that they have living costs that do not break the bank, and a government to restore the hope in our young people that they can have their opportunity for a good and decent future here in their own country. Leanaimid ag obair chun tacaíocht a mhealladh ar son rogha eile, seachas Rialtas faoi cheannas Fhianna Fáil agus Fhine Gael chun go mbainfimid lá amach faoi dheireadh le Rialtas ar son an chosmuintir oibre, ar son teaghlaigh agus ar son an phobail. Today will not be our day but our day will come.

Sentiment score: 0.08

Our work and our ambition for building a better, fair, equal and united Ireland has never been more important. We stick to that task with real belief, with renewed hope and refreshed determination. It is in that spirit that I accept this nomination.

Sentiment score: 0.64