Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

——in the back of Deputy Healy-Rae's car. When the Ceann Comhairle stated that there will be a familiarisation programme for the new Members, I believed he stated that there will be a feminisation programme. We might all examine its introduction for the next Parliament.

It is a great pleasure to have the opportunity to support the nomination of Deputy Kenny for the position of Taoiseach. Deputy Kenny is an immensely experienced parliamentarian. He is immensely popular with his colleagues on all sides of this House. He is an honest politician whose talents are well suited to the job of managing a Government.

I hoped until recently that he would be elected Taoiseach because he and I set out to offer the people a choice of Government in the recent election. I fundamentally believe it is important in a democracy that there is an alternative on offer to the Irish people. We set out to create such an alternative because the people have a right to expect that its democracy is capable of offering an alternative Government. We sought to do that. We sought to spell out on the big issues confronting our people where we were different and where what we were offering was different, on issues like the management of the health services, the privatisation of the hospitals building programme, criminal justice, policing and a number of other issues.

The people are sovereign and they have made their decision. However, I believe with conviction — I say this with the utmost respect to my Fianna Fáil colleagues in the House — that it is not healthy in a democracy that a single party dominates and is likely to dominate politics in the foreseeable future. Our civil society and institutions badly need a change of Government. That did not happen but I am proud to say that we fought the good fight. The outcome is narrow and the people are sovereign. The Taoiseach, Deputy Bertie Ahern, has won and I entirely accept that. We will have the opportunity to make some remarks about it later. I take this opportunity to support the nomination of Deputy Kenny for the position of Taoiseach.

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