Peadar Tóibín (Meath West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Maidir leis an McNulty affair, níl dabht ar bith i meon na ndaoine ná go bhfuil Fine Gael agus Páirtí an Lucht Oibre ciontach mar gheall ar chabhair fabhair. Cé a mhúin na ceachtanna seo i dtaobh cabhair fabhair don Taoiseach agus d'Fhine Gael? Seas suas, Fianna Fáil - ó tús an Stáit, bhí Fianna Fáil ciontach as an gcóras cronyism atá againn sa Stát seo. It developed a toxic culture, both nationally and locally, which is dangerous to the health and development of the nation. It also ensured that people who may not have had the required skills, ability or experience were put into positions of decision making, with outputs less than what they should have been. This process also had the effect of keeping generations of people out of those positions when they had skills and ability to drive the State out of problems. That would have led to better outcomes for the country.

I rith an tréimhse seo, d'fhéach muintir Fhine Gael ar Fianna Fáil agud éad ina gcuid súile. Fadó, roimh teacht lucht Fhianna Fáil sna cultacha móihéar, bhí siad ar thóir an airgid agus ag iarraidh daoine a chur isteach i bpostanna tábhachtacha sa Stát seo. Is fiú a rá go bhfuil an Teachta Micheál Ó Máirtín ina Theachta Dála le haghaidh 25 bliain anois. Bhí sé ina Aire le haghaidh 14 bliain. Níl aon taifead ar chor ar bith aige i dtaobh athchóiriú polaitíochta sa tír seo, fiú amháin sa Seanad. Ní chreideann éinne gur tháinig Fianna Fáil suas bóthar na Damaisce mar gheall ar an reifreann a bhí againn ar thodhchaí an tSeanaid an bhliain seo caite. Ní chreideann na daoine ar na sráideanna go bhfuil athrú meoin tagtha ar an bpáirtí sin.

Appointments to State boards have historically been some of the worst expressions of political cronyism in the State. Nothing has changed since 2011, and it is no great surprise that the Taoiseach has treated the Seanad and the board of IMMA with such disdain. There is arrogance in the Taoiseach, Fine Gael and the Labour Party that blinds them to the needs of the people they are supposed to serve. The dictatorial style exhibited by the Taoiseach in the past number of years can be seen even now in how he treats some of the members of his own political party. As I have indicated, the Fianna Fáil golden circle seems to have been replaced by the Fine Gael diamond ring.

In 2011 Fine Gael promised to tackle cronyism, but people in the State will be disappointed in how the Labour Party has been involved with cronyism. The party was meant to be the moral guardian or the watchdog with respect to Fine Gael, or at least it promised to be in the last election. The party promised an end to the system whereby appointments to State boards would be used as a form of political patronage and for rewarding insiders. It promised that appointments to boards would be based on demonstrable capacity to do a job.

The Labour Party promised that Oireachtas committees would consider the suitability of nominated candidates, that such candidates would appear before those committees and it would be a condition of appointment for prospective board members to come before the relevant committees. Like so many Labour Party promises, these disappeared like snow off a ditch. I have no doubt that the vast majority of Labour Party supporters are extremely disappointed by way the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Burton, handled the McNulty affair. I have even heard rumblings among her party's backbenchers in respect of this issue.

It is time for the Government parties to engage with the political system. I am of the view that so ingrained is the level of cronyism within the establishment parties that there is a conditioning in the minds of their members with regard to what actually constitutes cronyism. It is within those minds that reform must take place in the first instance, but there is no doubt that structural reform within the Houses of the Oireachtas is also required. We need to promote the very simple premise that individuals should achieve appointments to positions in this State on the basis of merit rather than as a result of whom they know. If this approach is adopted, it will have a radical effect in the context of how this country develops, how it is guided and how it will grow in the future. In addition, the State's capacity to ensure that the correct decisions are made will improve. I urge the Minister of State, Deputy Coffey, to ensure that the necessary steps are taken within his party in order that this might be achieved.

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