Today we nominate a Taoiseach in a week that Donald Trump was inaugurated, surrounded by his broligarchy, his billionaires and his sexual predators. He announced that the US intends to continue to destroy the planet for profit, pick on minorities and move in a more competitive and genocidal direction. Beside him, the world's richest man did two fascist salutes for good measure. What was being announced was the end of a liberal era for capitalism and politics. That will resonate in this Dáil as well. Already, the Government has announced that it will drop the occupied territories Bill-----

Sentiment score: 0.08

-----partly in an attempt to prostrate itself in front of Trump and the corporations and to ignore the ongoing suffering of the people of Palestine. What was a very right-wing Government will become more right-wing, including with the motley crew of those who espouse some of the ideas of misogyny, racism and climate denial as well. They are becoming more right-wing and more clearly pro-capitalist. We need a left that is more left, more anti-capitalist and puts up a challenge and an alternative. Socialists in this Dáil will demand the resources we need for the housing crisis, disability, autism and care and will organise outside of the Dáil as well. We need a movement to challenge the direction that capitalism is taking now.

Sentiment score: -0.10