Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)

This country does not need a new Cabinet but it needs a new Government with a five-year term, a clear and safe majority and a mandate to govern. The Minister for Health and Children is right in that no party put forward a manifesto at the last election reflecting our current position. Neither the Government nor the Opposition has a mandate to do what needs to be done. The Minister gave a very good reason for a new election and Government with a real mandate. A new Government will allow for renewal, give people the catharsis they need and allow for a fresh start. That is why we need a new Government rather than a new Cabinet.

It has been said that on Planet Bertie there were jobs for the boys but it is clear that on Planet Gormley, there are jobs for the Greens. The Green Party campaigned in 2007 by saying that Green politics are clean politics but it is clear that Green politics equate to crony politics. Five of the six Green Party Deputies have held ministerial office and when one of the Senators did not get a job in Europe, she went off in a huff. Several of the party's defeated candidates have been appointed to State boards without any scrutiny whatever and it seems the only person who is not fit for ministerial office is Deputy Paul Gogarty. We do not know the reason for that.

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