Vincent P Martin (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Is mór an onóir é labhairt leis an Seanad don chéad uair inniu. I dtús báire, gabhaim buíochas le mo bhean chéile, Hilda, m’iníon, Jules, agus mo mhac, Jack Vincent Pepper, as ucht an tacaíocht a thug siad dom. Gabhaim míle buíochas freisin le muintir Chill Dara Thuaidh agus go háirithe le muintir an Chomhaontais Glas, na Kildare Greens. Gan iad, ní bheinn anseo inniu.

As Members of the Upper House, we bring our ideals, experience, vigilance and intelligence to the legislative process. That is especially important at this time when expertise is undervalued and those who seek to destabilise our communities through the use of social media are busy at their work. Populism has resurged in many parts of the world, including in Britain and America. Brexit and Trumpism share common attributes. They both concoct enemies, exaggerate social problems for their own benefit and propose slogans as solutions. Their effect is to divide their communities. To paraphrase one of the great world leaders, a country divided against itself cannot stand. In Ireland, we must be on our guard against populism. It seeks out legitimate social problems, not to cure them, but to use them to undermine the very fabric of society. In that way, populism is wholly destructive. It sets a "them and us" narrative. It imagines a conspiracy where there is none. It alleges fraud and wickedness where they do not exist. One need only look at some of the slogans that are used, such as "Take back control" and "Drain the swamp". They point to some ill-defined other which is the supposed cause of society's ills.These slogans are full of raw and negative emotion and are anti-intellectual. This country must deal with the pandemic, Brexit and the existential challenge of climate change. These challenges, if nakedly exploited, are opportunistic breeding grounds for populism so they must be countered with positive energy aimed at solutions. The pandemic is causing us to profoundly reimagine the way we live our lives and may have the effect of greening our world in an immediate way. We need to take advantage of this new world. The green philosophy is a universal one based on climate and social justice being inseparable. It is inclusive and speaks to both the intellect and the heart. This House should green-proof legislation that comes before it, with a view to protecting the welfare of our planet, our people’s quality of life and to the future generations that will come after us. Green politics sees us all as human beings, not as capitalist or socialist, unionist or nationalist, or them and us.

I commit to work with other Members across the wide field of legislation that will come before us in order that I can play my part in reimagining a green way of life that is consistent with the well-being of our planet and its peoples. Gabhaim buíochas.